CompTIA Updated PT0-003 Exam Questions and Answers by ariyah

IAM (Identity and Access Management) credentials are used to control and manage access to cloud services and resources. When a penetration tester obtains IAM credentials, especially those with administrative privileges, they can perform high-level operations such as provisioning services, modifying configurations, or accessing sensitive data across the cloud environment.

SSH keys would only grant access to a specific instance, not cloud-wide services.

Cloud storage credentials are limited to storage access, not administrative capabilities.

Temporary security credentials (STS) provide limited-time access and are not typically used for broad administrative tasks.

Identified Weaknesses:

Weaker password settings than the company standard: Indicates inconsistency in password policies across systems.

Systems without the company's endpoint security software installed: Suggests lack of uniformity in security software deployment.

Operating systems not updated by the patch management system: Points to gaps in patch management processes.

Configuration Management System:

Definition: A configuration management system automates the deployment, maintenance, and enforcement of configurations across all systems in an organization.

Benefits: Ensures consistency in security settings, software installations, and patch management across the entire environment.

Examples: Tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Chef can help automate and manage configurations, ensuring compliance with organizational standards.

Other Recommendations:

Vulnerability Management System: While adding systems to this system helps track vulnerabilities, it does not address the root cause of configuration inconsistencies.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): Useful for detecting and responding to threats, but not for enforcing consistent configurations.

Patch Management: Patching systems addresses specific vulnerabilities but does not solve broader configuration management issues.

Pentest References:

System Hardening: Ensuring all systems adhere to security baselines and configurations to reduce attack surfaces.

Automation in Security: Using configuration management tools to automate security practices, ensuring compliance and reducing manual errors.

Implementing a configuration management system addresses the root issue by ensuring consistent security configurations, software deployments, and patch management across the entire environment.

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The tester is attempting to register a malicious DLL as a server-level plugin to escalate privileges.

Privilege escalation (Option B):

The command uses dnscmd.exe, a legitimate Windows tool for managing DNS servers.

By setting a malicious DLL (adduser.dll) as a server-level plugin, attackers can gain SYSTEM-level privileges.

This technique is a DLL hijacking attack.

The goal is collecting information transmitted over the network during an internal assessment.

C. responder.py -I eth0 -wP

Responder is a widely used tool for LLMNR/NBT-NS poisoning and network credential capture.

By listening on the network interface (-I eth0), it can intercept authentication requests, capture hashes, and perform MITM attacks.

This directly aligns with network information gathering and interception.

Why not the others?

A. ntlmrelayx.py: Used for relaying captured NTLM hashes to another target, but it doesn’t collect the data directly. Typically used after Responder has captured credentials.

B. nc -tulpn: Netcat with -tulpn is for listening/port binding, not for capturing network authentication broadcasts.

D. crackmapexec smb: SMB enumeration/exploitation tool, useful once credentials are known, but not for collecting transmitted data.

CompTIA PT0-003 Objective Mapping:

Domain 2.0: Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning

2.3: Given a scenario, gather information by leveraging tools (e.g., Responder for network-based credential capture).