312-50 Question 123
Single answer▪ Vulnerability Assessment ToolsA healthcare organization asks you to perform an internal vulnerability assessment of 2,000 Windows and Linux systems during business hours. The security team wants accurate patch and configuration findings, but they are concerned that intrusive checks could disrupt production services. You have valid administrative credentials for the environment. Which approach is the MOST appropriate for obtaining the most reliable results while minimizing operational risk?
- A
Run a credentialed vulnerability scan using a tool such as Nessus or OpenVAS/Greenbone and use safe checking options to avoid disruptive tests
- B
Use Nmap OS detection and version detection only, because authenticated scans are unnecessary when service banners are available
- C
Launch an aggressive exploitation-focused scan with Metasploit modules against all hosts to confirm every vulnerability directly
- D
Capture network traffic with Wireshark during peak hours and infer missing patches from observed protocols and ports
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best answer is to perform a credentialed vulnerability scan with safe, non-intrusive settings. In real environments, authenticated scanning provides much higher fidelity than unauthenticated methods because the scanner can query the operating system directly for installed patches, software versions, and security configuration data. This aligns with common vendor guidance from vulnerability management platforms such as Tenable Nessus and Greenbone/OpenVAS, which distinguish between authenticated and unauthenticated scanning and document the improved accuracy of credentialed assessments. Safe checks are also a recognized best practice when assessing production systems, especially in sectors like healthcare where availability is critical. Nmap and Wireshark are useful supporting tools, but they do not replace a dedicated vulnerability assessment tool for this task. Metasploit can validate findings in narrowly scoped, approved scenarios, but using exploitation as the primary assessment method is unnecessarily risky and not appropriate for minimizing disruption.
- A. Correct.
Correct. For large enterprise vulnerability assessments, a credentialed scan is typically the most accurate and efficient way to identify missing patches, insecure configurations, and local security issues on Windows and Linux hosts. Tools such as Nessus and OpenVAS/Greenbone support authenticated scanning and can collect host-level information that unauthenticated network probing often misses. Enabling safe checks or non-destructive scan settings helps reduce the chance of service disruption, which is important in production healthcare environments.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Nmap is valuable for discovery, port scanning, service enumeration, and some version/OS fingerprinting, but it is not a substitute for a full credentialed vulnerability assessment. Banner-based detection can be incomplete or misleading, and it usually cannot reliably determine local patch levels, registry settings, package versions, or many configuration weaknesses that authenticated scanners can assess.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Metasploit is primarily an exploitation and validation framework, not the preferred first-line tool for broad vulnerability assessment across 2,000 production systems. Attempting exploitation at scale during business hours increases operational risk and can cause instability or outages. In a standard assessment workflow, exploitation is typically limited, authorized, and targeted after vulnerabilities are identified, not used as the main scanning method for all assets.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Wireshark is a packet capture and protocol analysis tool, not a vulnerability assessment platform for determining host patch status or configuration weaknesses at scale. While traffic analysis may reveal insecure protocols or suspicious behavior, it cannot reliably infer comprehensive vulnerability data such as missing OS patches or local misconfigurations across thousands of endpoints.