An external red team is brought into an organization to perform a penetration test of a new network-based application. The organization deploying the network application wants the red team to act…

Question

Options

• ARun a protocol analyzer to determine what traffic is flowing in and out of the server, and look for
• BSend out spear-phishing emails against users who are known to have access to the network-
• CExamine the application using a port scanner, then run a vulnerability scanner against open ports
• DAsk for more details regarding the engagement using social engineering tactics in an attempt to

• A
  4% (1)
• B
  15% (4)
• C
  74% (20)
• D
  7% (2)

Explanation

A black-box penetration test simulates a real-world external attacker who has no prior knowledge of the internal environment. The correct methodology starts with reconnaissance - using a port scanner (e.g., Nmap) to discover which ports/services are exposed, then running a vulnerability scanner against those open ports to identify exploitable weaknesses. This mirrors how a genuine external attacker would approach an unknown target. Option A (protocol analyzer) requires access to network traffic, which an external attacker typically does not have. Option B (spear-phishing) is a social engineering tactic unrelated to testing a network-based application. Option D (social engineering to get more info) violates the premise of a black-box engagement - the attacker should only use publicly available information and active probing.

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