Which of the following is the GREATEST risk that could result from a contracted penetration tester attempting SQL injection techniques on the production system?

Question

Options

• AThe tester's access could be elevated
• BProduction data could be altered
• CEvents could be improperly logged
• DSensitive data could be exfiltrated

• A
  13% (3)
• B
  57% (13)
• C
  4% (1)
• D
  26% (6)

Explanation

Production data alteration (B) is the greatest risk because SQL injection can trigger unintended UPDATE, INSERT, or DELETE statements, permanently corrupting or destroying live business data - damage that may be irreversible if backups are unavailable or stale.

Why the distractors fall short:

• A (privilege escalation) is possible via techniques like xp_cmdshell, but elevating the tester's access is a lesser operational risk than permanent data loss - it can be revoked; corrupted data cannot always be restored.
• C (improper logging) is a minor side effect, not a primary risk; it affects audit trails, not the integrity of the production system itself.
• D (data exfiltration) is a serious concern in real attacks, but in this context the tester is reading data without altering it - the production system remains intact, making it a lower operational risk than modification.

Memory tip: On risk-ranking questions, ask yourself "What's hardest to undo?" Exfiltration copies data; privilege escalation can be revoked; logging gaps can be patched - but altered or deleted production data can be gone for good, which is why data integrity loss ranks highest.

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