CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-003) — All Questions
4 questions
A vulnerability scanner reports a critical flaw, but manual verification shows the affected feature is not actually present on the host. What is this scanner result called?
- a.A false positive✓
- b.A true positive
- c.A zero-day
- d.A privilege escalation
A false positive is a reported vulnerability that does not actually exist on the target, which is why testers validate scanner output manually before acting. A true positive is a real finding, and the other options describe different concepts entirely.
Which framework provides a standardized numeric score, typically from 0 to 10, to represent the severity of a vulnerability?
- a.OSINT
- b.CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System)✓
- c.DHCP
- d.RAID
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) produces a standardized severity score from 0 to 10 based on characteristics such as attack vector and impact, helping teams prioritize remediation. OSINT is an intelligence method, while DHCP and RAID are unrelated networking and storage technologies.
A tester has a long list of confirmed vulnerabilities and limited time. Which factor should most influence which vulnerabilities to address first?
- a.Alphabetical order of the affected hostnames
- b.The color assigned to each finding in the tool
- c.How recently each host was rebooted
- d.The risk each poses, combining severity and likelihood of exploitation✓
Prioritization is driven by risk, which combines the severity of a vulnerability with the likelihood and impact of its exploitation in the target's context. Cosmetic factors like alphabetical order or tool colors do not reflect real risk.
Which of the following is a well-known open-source vulnerability scanner?
- a.Microsoft Word
- b.VLC Media Player
- c.OpenVAS✓
- d.A PDF reader
OpenVAS is a widely used open-source vulnerability scanner that checks hosts against a database of known issues. The other options are general productivity or media applications with no vulnerability-scanning function.