- A
Distributed denial-of-service activity against the internal network.
Why wrong: The traffic pattern is targeted at multiple hosts for authentication and remote execution, not flooding a service.
- B
Lateral movement using compromised credentials to pivot across the environment.
The pattern of SMB, WinRM, Kerberos, and admin-share activity strongly suggests an attacker is using one compromised workstation to move laterally and reach additional systems. That behavior matches post-compromise pivoting, often with stolen credentials or remote execution tooling. The invoice spreadsheet is likely the initial infection vector.
- C
Port scanning from an external attacker trying to enumerate exposed services.
Why wrong: This is internal, authenticated-looking east-west traffic rather than an external reconnaissance scan.
- D
DNS tunneling used to bypass content filtering and exfiltrate data.
Why wrong: DNS tunneling usually produces unusual DNS query patterns, not broad SMB, WinRM, and Kerberos activity.
Quick Answer
The answer is lateral movement using compromised credentials to pivot across the environment. This is correct because the rapid succession of SMB and WinRM sessions from a single workstation to 25 servers, paired with a Kerberos authentication spike and admin share access, mirrors the classic pattern of an attacker using stolen credentials to authenticate remotely and move laterally. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your ability to recognize lateral movement indicators in network traffic, often disguised as legitimate administrative activity—a common trap is mistaking it for a worm or automated patch deployment. The key clue is the user’s claim of only opening an invoice spreadsheet, which points to credential theft via phishing. Memory tip: think “SMB, WinRM, Kerberos spike” as the three-card trick of lateral movement.
SY0-701 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
NetFlow shows one workstation initiating SMB and WinRM sessions to 25 internal servers within 12 minutes, followed by a spike in Kerberos authentication requests and attempts to access admin shares. The user says they only opened an invoice spreadsheet. What is the most likely attacker objective?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Lateral movement using compromised credentials to pivot across the environment.
The observed behavior—a single workstation initiating SMB and WinRM sessions to 25 internal servers in rapid succession, followed by a spike in Kerberos authentication requests and attempts to access admin shares—is a classic indicator of lateral movement using compromised credentials. The attacker likely obtained the user's credentials (e.g., via phishing in the invoice spreadsheet) and is using them to authenticate to multiple servers via WinRM for remote command execution and SMB for file access, with the Kerberos spike reflecting TGT/TGS requests as they pivot across the environment to escalate privileges or deploy ransomware.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Distributed denial-of-service activity against the internal network.
Why it's wrong here
The traffic pattern is targeted at multiple hosts for authentication and remote execution, not flooding a service.
- ✓
Lateral movement using compromised credentials to pivot across the environment.
Why this is correct
The pattern of SMB, WinRM, Kerberos, and admin-share activity strongly suggests an attacker is using one compromised workstation to move laterally and reach additional systems. That behavior matches post-compromise pivoting, often with stolen credentials or remote execution tooling. The invoice spreadsheet is likely the initial infection vector.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Port scanning from an external attacker trying to enumerate exposed services.
Why it's wrong here
This is internal, authenticated-looking east-west traffic rather than an external reconnaissance scan.
- ✗
DNS tunneling used to bypass content filtering and exfiltrate data.
Why it's wrong here
DNS tunneling usually produces unusual DNS query patterns, not broad SMB, WinRM, and Kerberos activity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may mistake the Kerberos spike for a Kerberos-based attack (e.g., Kerberoasting) rather than recognizing it as a natural byproduct of lateral movement, where each new server connection triggers a TGS request, and the admin share access confirms the attacker is using compromised credentials to pivot, not just enumerate services.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
WinRM (Windows Remote Management) uses HTTP/HTTPS on ports 5985/5986 and relies on Kerberos or NTLM for authentication; the spike in Kerberos requests indicates the attacker is requesting service tickets (TGS) for each target server after obtaining a TGT with the compromised credentials. SMB admin shares (e.g., ADMIN$, C$) require administrative privileges, so the attacker is likely using Pass-the-Hash or Overpass-the-Hash techniques to access these shares after authenticating via WinRM, enabling lateral movement and potential privilege escalation.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An employee at a financial services firm receives an email that appears to come from the IT helpdesk, asking them to reset their password via a link. The link leads to a convincing fake portal that harvests credentials. Security teams use phishing simulations and security-awareness training to reduce this attack vector. Questions like this test whether you can identify social engineering techniques and appropriate controls.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — This question tests Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Lateral movement using compromised credentials to pivot across the environment. — The observed behavior—a single workstation initiating SMB and WinRM sessions to 25 internal servers in rapid succession, followed by a spike in Kerberos authentication requests and attempts to access admin shares—is a classic indicator of lateral movement using compromised credentials. The attacker likely obtained the user's credentials (e.g., via phishing in the invoice spreadsheet) and is using them to authenticate to multiple servers via WinRM for remote command execution and SMB for file access, with the Kerberos spike reflecting TGT/TGS requests as they pivot across the environment to escalate privileges or deploy ransomware.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SY0-701 exam.
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