SY0-501 Question #503: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

A new security administrator ran a vulnerability scanner for the first time and caused a system outage. Which of the following types of scans MOST likely caused the outage?

Options

• ANon-intrusive credentialed scan
• BNon-intrusive non-credentialed scan
• CIntrusive credentialed scan
• DIntrusive non-credentialed scan

Explanation

An intrusive non-credentialed vulnerability scan is the most likely type to cause a system outage because it actively attempts to exploit vulnerabilities or stress services without prior authentication, often leading to system instability or crashes.

Common mistakes.

• A. A non-intrusive credentialed scan identifies vulnerabilities by inspecting internal configurations and patch levels without actively attempting exploits or stressing services, making it unlikely to cause an outage.
• B. A non-intrusive non-credentialed scan passively identifies vulnerabilities from an external perspective without authentication and does not attempt to exploit or stress services, thus it is designed not to cause outages.
• C. While an intrusive credentialed scan actively attempts exploits, it does so with authenticated access, which might allow for more controlled testing or less aggressive public-service probing than a non-credentialed scan, making it slightly less likely to cause a widespread outage compared to a non-credentialed one which acts purely externally.

Concept tested. Vulnerability scan types and their impact

Reference. https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-115.pdf

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