CPENT Practice Question: Privilege Escalation Lateral Movement And Post Exploitation
A tester discovers that an internal Windows host has the AlwaysInstallElevated registry key set to 1 in both HKCU and HKLM. How can the tester leverage this misconfiguration to escalate privileges?
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
✓
Generate a malicious MSI file using msfvenom and execute it using msiexec /quiet /qn /i exploit.msi.
AlwaysInstallElevated allows MSI packages to be installed with elevated (NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM) privileges. The tester can generate a malicious MSI file using msfvenom and install it silently.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run a batch script that directly modifies the SAM database registry hive.
Why it's wrong here
The SAM hive is locked and requires SYSTEM privileges to modify.
- ✗
Execute a local exploit targeting the Print Spooler service via named pipes.
Why it's wrong here
AlwaysInstallElevated is entirely separate from Print Spooler vulnerabilities.
- ✓
Generate a malicious MSI file using msfvenom and execute it using msiexec /quiet /qn /i exploit.msi.
Why this is correct
The msiexec command will install the MSI with elevated privileges when AlwaysInstallElevated is enabled.
- ✗
Extract plaintext credentials from the lsass.exe process memory.
Why it's wrong here
AlwaysInstallElevated does not grant direct LSASS read access without other flaws.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CPENT question from scratch — 276 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CPENT practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council 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 CPENT exam.