220-1102 Question 811
Single answerScreen-sharing softwareA help desk technician needs to remotely assist a payroll employee who is working from home on a company-managed Windows laptop. The employee reports that the payroll application is displaying an error, but the technician must comply with company policy that requires user consent before viewing the screen and prohibits unattended remote access. Which action should the technician take FIRST to troubleshoot the problem while following best practices?
- A
Start a remote desktop session using the employee's credentials so the technician can access the laptop without interrupting the user
- B
Send the employee a screen-sharing session invitation and have the user approve the connection before viewing the screen
- C
Ask the employee to email their password so the technician can sign in and reproduce the problem directly
- D
Use a command-line remote management tool to disable the payroll application's security prompts before connecting
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The best first step is to use screen-sharing software that requires the employee to accept the connection before the technician can view the screen. In A+ Core 2 objectives, remote support methods should be chosen based on the task and with attention to security, privacy, and organizational policy. Screen-sharing is ideal when a technician needs to observe what the user sees and guide the user through steps in the active session. This is different from unattended remote access or remote desktop administration, which may be restricted by policy or unsuitable when the user must remain logged in and involved. Best practices from major vendor guidance for remote assistance tools consistently emphasize user consent, protecting credentials, and using approved remote support mechanisms rather than bypassing security controls.
- A. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. A remote desktop session typically takes control of the system and may lock or interrupt the user's active session, depending on the tool and configuration. More importantly, the scenario states that policy requires user consent before viewing the screen and prohibits unattended remote access. Initiating access with the user's credentials without an approved interactive screen-sharing session would violate that requirement.
- B. Correct.
This is correct. Screen-sharing software is appropriate when a technician needs to see the user's current session in real time while the user remains present. Having the employee explicitly approve the session satisfies the consent requirement, and the technician can observe the exact error in the live environment without creating an unattended access situation. This aligns with common remote support best practices for user privacy and least privilege.
- C. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. Technicians should not ask users to share passwords by email or other insecure means. This violates standard security practices and many organizational policies. The goal is to troubleshoot through approved remote support methods, not by collecting credentials.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. Disabling security prompts to make remote support easier would be a poor security practice and is unrelated to the policy requirement for user-approved screen viewing. Command-line management tools may be useful in some environments, but they do not replace the need for user consent in a screen-sharing scenario.