Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) CybersecurityVulnerability ManagementMedium
A security team is conducting a vulnerability assessment on a new server deployed in their demilitarized zone (DMZ). The team needs to identify vulnerabilities from the perspective of an attacker outside the network, without providing any credentials or internal access to the scanner. Which scanning approach should they use?
- AInternal audit
- BUncredentialed scan
- CCredentialed scan
- DWhite-box assessment
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Uncredentialed scan
An uncredentialed scan simulates an external attacker with no prior knowledge or access, making it suitable for assessing systems from an outside perspective without credentials, especially for DMZ-deployed servers.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Internal audits are broader reviews, not a specific scanning approach for external vulnerability identification.
- C. Credentialed scans use valid login credentials, which contradicts the requirement of 'without providing any credentials'.
- D. White-box assessments involve full internal knowledge, which contradicts assessing from an 'attacker outside the network' perspective.
Uncredentialed Scan
An uncredentialed scan is a vulnerability scan performed without providing any login credentials to the target system, simulating an external attacker's perspective.
- Identifies network-level vulnerabilities and services exposed to unauthenticated users.
- Does not detect vulnerabilities that require authenticated access to discover.
- Useful for assessing perimeter defenses and publicly exposed systems.
Memory trick: Scan CREDENTIALS: Credentialed (in), Uncredentialed (out).