During an assessment, a penetration tester obtains a low-privilege shell and then runs the following command: findstr /SIM /C:"pass" .txt .cfg *.xml Which of the following is the penetration tester…

The correct answer is D. Secrets. The findstr /SIM /C:"pass” .txt .cfg .xml command searches for the keyword "pass" recursively across .txt, .cfg, and .xml files on the system. This is a common penetration testing technique used to locate hardcoded credentials, API keys, or plaintext passwords stored in…

Submitted by obi.ng· Mar 6, 2026Post-exploitation and Lateral Movement

Question

During an assessment, a penetration tester obtains a low-privilege shell and then runs the following command:

findstr /SIM /C:"pass" *.txt *.cfg *.xml Which of the following is the penetration tester trying to enumerate?

Options

AConfiguration files
BPermissions
CVirtual hosts
DSecrets

How the community answered

(45 responses)

A
2% (1)
B
4% (2)
C
9% (4)
D
84% (38)

Explanation

The findstr /SIM /C:"pass” *.txt *.cfg *.xml command searches for the keyword "pass" recursively across .txt, .cfg, and .xml files on the system. This is a common penetration testing technique used to locate hardcoded credentials, API keys, or plaintext passwords stored in configuration or log files. These secrets can then be used for privilege escalation or lateral movement. findstr is a Windows command for searching files. /S searches in all subdirectories. is case-insensitive search. /M displays only filenames that contain a match. searches for the exact word "pass" (could match "password", "passphrase", etc.). *.txt *.cfg *.xml searches in common plaintext configuration file formats.

Topics

#local enumeration#secrets discovery#post-exploitation commands#Windows commands

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