As part of an engagement, a penetration tester needs to scan several hundred public-facing URLs for dangerous files or outdated web server versions. Which of the following should the tester use?

Question

Options

• ANmap
• BZAP
• CBloodHound
• DNikto

• A
  4% (1)
• C
  4% (1)
• D
  92% (23)

Explanation

Nikto is purpose-built for web server scanning, specifically designed to detect dangerous files (such as default or sensitive files), outdated server versions, and common web server misconfigurations across multiple URLs - making it the ideal tool for this scenario. It can accept a list of hosts/URLs and automate scanning at scale, which directly addresses the need to scan "several hundred" targets.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• Nmap (A) is a network/port scanner used to discover hosts and services; while it has scripting capabilities, it is not optimized for identifying dangerous web files or outdated web server software in the way Nikto is.
• ZAP (B) (Zed Attack Proxy) is a web application vulnerability scanner focused on active/passive testing of web app logic, such as XSS and SQL injection - not bulk web server version/file enumeration.
• BloodHound (C) is an Active Directory reconnaissance tool used to map attack paths within internal Windows environments - completely unrelated to web server scanning.

Memory Tip: Think of Nikto = "Naughty files checker" - it hunts for dangerous or outdated things on web servers. If the question mentions web servers, old versions, or risky files at scale, think Nikto.

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