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CompTIA PT0-002 Exam

CompTIA PenTest+ Certification Exam

Total Questions: 400

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CompTIA PT0-002 Exam Overview :

Exam Name CompTIA PenTest+ Certification Exam
Exam Code PT0-002
Official Information https://www.comptia.org/certifications/pentest
See Expected Questions CompTIA PT0-002 Expected Questions in Actual Exam
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CompTIA PT0-002 Exam Topics :

Section Weight Objectives
1.0 Planning and Scoping 14% 1.1 Compare and contrast governance, risk, and compliance concepts.
• Regulatory compliance considerations
 - Payment Card Industry Data  
   Security Standard (PCI DSS)
 - General Data Protection  
   Regulation (GDPR)
• Location restrictions
 - Country limitations
 - Tool restrictions
 - Local laws
 - Local government requirements
  - Privacy requirements
• Legal concepts
 - Service-level agreement (SLA)
 - Confidentiality
 - Statement of work
 - Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
 - Master service agreement
• Permission to attack

1.2 Explain the importance of scoping and organizational/customer requirements.
• Standards and methodologies
 - MITRE ATT&CK
 - Open Web Application  
   Security Project (OWASP)
 - National Institute of Standards  
   and Technology (NIST)
 - Open-source Security Testing  
   Methodology Manual (OSSTMM)
 - Penetration Testing  
   Execution Standard (PTES)
 - Information Systems Security  
   Assessment Framework (ISSAF)
• Rules of engagement
 - Time of day
 - Types of allowed/disallowed tests
 - Other restrictions
• Environmental considerations
 - Network
 - Application
 - Cloud
• Target list/in-scope assets
 - Wireless networks
 - Internet Protocol (IP) ranges
 - Domains
 - Application programming  
   interfaces (APIs)
 - Physical locations
 - Domain name system (DNS)
 - External vs. internal targets
 - First-party vs. third-party hosted
• Validate scope of engagement
 - Question the client/review contracts
 - Time management
 - Strategy
  - Unknown-environment vs.  
    known-environment testing
    
1.3 Given a scenario, demonstrate an ethical hacking mindset by maintaining professionalism and integrity.
• Background checks of penetration testing team
• Adhere to specific scope of engagement
• Identify criminal activity
• Immediately report breaches/criminal activity
• Limit the use of tools to a particular engagement
• Limit invasiveness based on scope
• Maintain confidentiality of data/information
• Risks to the professional
- Fees/fines
- Criminal charges
2.0 Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning 22% 2.1 Given a scenario, perform passive reconnaissance.
• DNS lookups
• Identify technical contacts
• Administrator contacts
• Cloud vs. self-hosted
• Social media scraping
 - Key contacts/job responsibilities
 - Job listing/technology stack
• Cryptographic flaws
 - Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates
 - Revocation
• Company reputation/security posture
• Data
 - Password dumps
 - File metadata
 - Strategic search engine  
   analysis/enumeration
 - Website archive/caching
 - Public source-code repositories
• Open-source intelligence (OSINT)
 - Tools
  - Shodan
  - Recon-ng
 - Sources
  - Common weakness  
    enumeration (CWE)
  - Common vulnerabilities  
    and exposures (CVE)
    
2.2 Given a scenario, perform active reconnaissance.
• Enumeration
 - Hosts
 - Services
 - Domains
 - Users
 - Uniform resource locators (URLs)
• Website reconnaissance
 - Crawling websites
 - Scraping websites
 - Manual inspection of web links
  - robots.txt
• Packet crafting
 - Scapy
• Defense detection
 - Load balancer detection
 - Web application firewall  
   (WAF) detection
 - Antivirus
 - Firewall
• Tokens
 - Scoping
 - Issuing
 - Revocation
• Wardriving
• Network traffic
 - Capture API requests and responses
 - Sniffing
• Cloud asset discovery
• Third-party hosted services
• Detection avoidance

2.3 Given a scenario, analyze the results of a reconnaissance exercise.
• Fingerprinting
 - Operating systems (OSs)
 - Networks
 - Network devices
 - Software
• Analyze output from:
 - DNS lookups
 - Crawling websites
 - Network traffic
 - Address Resolution  
   Protocol (ARP) traffic
 - Nmap scans
 - Web logs
 
2.4 Given a scenario, perform vulnerability scanning.
• Considerations of vulnerability scanning
 - Time to run scans
 - Protocols
 - Network topology
 - Bandwidth limitations
 - Query throttling
 - Fragile systems
 - Non-traditional assets
• Scan identified targets for vulnerabilities
• Set scan settings to avoid detection
• Scanning methods
 - Stealth scan
 - Transmission Control  
   Protocol (TCP) connect scan
 - Credentialed vs. non-credentialed
• Nmap
 - Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) scripts
 - Common options
•  -A
•  -sV
•  -sT
•  -Pn
•  -O
•  -sU
•  -sS
•  -T 1-5
•  -script=vuln
•  -p
• Vulnerability testing tools that facilitate automation
3.0 Attacks and Exploits 30% 3.1 Given a scenario, research attack vectors and perform network attacks.
• Stress testing for availability
• Exploit resources
 - Exploit database (DB)
 - Packet storm
• Attacks
 - ARP poisoning
 - Exploit chaining
 - Password attacks
  - Password spraying
  - Hash cracking
  - Brute force
  - Dictionary
 - On-path (previously known  
   as man-in-the-middle)
 - Kerberoasting
 - DNS cache poisoning
 - Virtual local area network  
   (VLAN) hopping
 - Network access control (NAC) bypass
 - Media access control (MAC) spoofing
 - Link-Local Multicast Name  
   Resolution (LLMNR)/NetBIOS-
   Name Service (NBT-NS) poisoning
 - New Technology LAN Manager  
   (NTLM) relay attacks
• Tools
 - Metasploit
 - Netcat
 - Nmap
 
3.2 Given a scenario, research attack vectors and perform wireless attacks.
• Attack methods
 - Eavesdropping
 - Data modification
 - Data corruption
 - Relay attacks
 - Spoofing
 - Deauthentication
 - Jamming
 - Capture handshakes
 - On-path
• Attacks
 - Evil twin
 - Captive portal
 - Bluejacking
 - Bluesnarfing
 - Radio-frequency identification  
   (RFID) cloning
 - Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) attack
 - Amplification attacks [Near-
   field communication (NFC)]
 - WiFi protected setup (WPS) PIN attack
• Tools
 - Aircrack-ng suite
 - Amplified antenna
 
3.3 Given a scenario, research attack vectors and perform application-based attacks.
• OWASP Top 10
• Server-side request forgery
• Business logic flaws
• Injection attacks
 - Structured Query Language  
   (SQL) injection
  - Blind SQL
  - Boolean SQL
  - Stacked queries
 - Command injection
 - Cross-site scripting
  - Persistent
  - Reflected
 - Lightweight Directory Access  
   Protocol (LDAP) injection
• Application vulnerabilities
 - Race conditions
 - Lack of error handling
 - Lack of code signing
 - Insecure data transmission
 - Session attacks
  - Session hijacking
  - Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)
  - Privilege escalation
  - Session replay
  - Session fixation
• API attacks
 - Restful
 - Extensible Markup Language-
   Remote Procedure Call (XML-RPC)
 - Soap
• Directory traversal
• Tools
 - Web proxies
  - OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
  - Burp Suite community edition
 - SQLmap
 - DirBuster
• Resources
 - Word lists
 
3.4 Given a scenario, research attack vectors and perform attacks on cloud technologies.
• Attacks
 - Credential harvesting
 - Privilege escalation
 - Account takeover
 - Metadata service attack
 - Misconfigured cloud assets
  - Identity and access  
    management (IAM)
  - Federation misconfigurations
  - Object storage
  - Containerization technologies
 - Resource exhaustion
 - Cloud malware injection attacks
 - Denial-of-service attacks
 - Side-channel attacks
 - Direct-to-origin attacks
• Tools
 - Software development kit (SDK)
 
3.5 Explain common attacks and vulnerabilities against specialized systems.
• Mobile
 - Attacks
  - Reverse engineering
  - Sandbox analysis
  - Spamming
 - Vulnerabilities
  - Insecure storage
  - Passcode vulnerabilities
  - Certificate pinning
  - Using known  
    vulnerable components
  (i)   Dependency vulnerabilities
  (ii) Patching fragmentation
  - Execution of activities using root
  - Over-reach of permissions
  - Biometrics integrations
  - Business logic vulnerabilities
 - Tools
  - Burp Suite
  - Drozer
  - Mobile Security Framework (MobSF)
  - Postman
  - Ettercap
  - Frida
•  - Objection
•  - Android SDK tools
•  - ApkX
•  - APK Studio
• Internet of Things (IoT) devices
 - BLE attacks
 - Special considerations
•  - Fragile environment
•  - Availability concerns
•  - Data corruption
•  - Data exfiltration
 - Vulnerabilities
•  - Insecure defaults
•  - Cleartext communication
•  - Hard-coded configurations
•  - Outdated firmware/hardware
•  - Data leakage
•  - Use of insecure or  
    outdated components
• Data storage system vulnerabilities
 - Misconfigurations—on-premises  
   and cloud-based
  - Default/blank  
    username/password
  - Network exposure
 - Lack of user input sanitization
 - Underlying software vulnerabilities
 - Error messages and debug handling
 - Injection vulnerabilities
•  - Single quote method
• Management interface vulnerabilities
 - Intelligent platform  
   management interface (IPMI)
• Vulnerabilities related to supervisory  
   control and data acquisition (SCADA)/
   Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)/
   industrial control system (ICS)
• Vulnerabilities related to  
   virtual environments
 - Virtual machine (VM) escape
 - Hypervisor vulnerabilities
 - VM repository vulnerabilities
• Vulnerabilities related to  
   containerized workloads
   
3.6 Given a scenario, perform a social engineering or physical attack.
• Pretext for an approach
• Social engineering attacks
 - Email phishing
•  - Whaling
•  - Spear phishing
 - Vishing
 - Short message service (SMS) phishing
 - Universal Serial Bus (USB) drop key
 - Watering hole attack
• Physical attacks
 - Tailgating
 - Dumpster diving
 - Shoulder surfing
 - Badge cloning
• Impersonation
• Tools
 - Browser exploitation  
   framework (BeEF)
 - Social engineering toolkit
 - Call spoofing tools
• Methods of influence
 - Authority
 - Scarcity
 - Social proof
 - Urgency
 - Likeness
 - Fear
 
3.7 Given a scenario, perform post-exploitation techniques.
• Post-exploitation tools
 - Empire
 - Mimikatz
 - BloodHound
• Lateral movement
 - Pass the hash
• Network segmentation testing
• Privilege escalation
 - Horizontal
 - Vertical
• Upgrading a restrictive shell
• Creating a foothold/persistence
 - Trojan
 - Backdoor
•  - Bind shell
•  - Reverse shell
 - Daemons
 - Scheduled tasks
• Detection avoidance
 - Living-off-the-land  
   techniques/fileless malware
•  - PsExec
•  - Windows Management  
    Instrumentation (WMI)
  - PowerShell (PS) remoting/Windows  
    Remote Management (WinRM)
 - Data exfiltration
 - Covering your tracks
 - Steganography
 - Establishing a covert channel
• Enumeration
 - Users
 - Groups
 - Forests
 - Sensitive data
 - Unencrypted files
4.0 Reporting and Communication 18% 4.1 Compare and contrast important components of written reports.
• Report audience
 - C-suite
 - Third-party stakeholders
 - Technical staff
 - Developers
• Report contents (** not  
   in a particular order)
 - Executive summary
 - Scope details
 - Methodology
  - Attack narrative
 - Findings
  - Risk rating (reference framework)
•  - Risk prioritization
•  - Business impact analysis
 - Metrics and measures
 - Remediation
 - Conclusion
 - Appendix
• Storage time for report
• Secure distribution
• Note taking
 - Ongoing documentation during test
 - Screenshots
• Common themes/root causes
 - Vulnerabilities
 - Observations
 - Lack of best practices
 
4.2 Given a scenario, analyze the findings and recommend the appropriate remediation within a report.
• Technical controls
 - System hardening
 - Sanitize user input/
   parameterize queries
 - Implemented multifactor  
   authentication
 - Encrypt passwords
 - Process-level remediation
 - Patch management
 - Key rotation
 - Certificate management
 - Secrets management solution
 - Network segmentation
• Administrative controls
 - Role-based access control
 - Secure software  
   development life cycle
 - Minimum password requirements
 - Policies and procedures
• Operational controls
 - Job rotation
 - Time-of-day restrictions
 - Mandatory vacations
 - User training
• Physical controls
 - Access control vestibule
 - Biometric controls
 - Video surveillance
 
4.3 Explain the importance of communication during the penetration testing process.
• Communication path
 - Primary contact
 - Technical contact
 - Emergency contact
• Communication triggers
 - Critical findings
 - Status reports
 - Indicators of prior compromise
• Reasons for communication
 - Situational awareness
 - De-escalation
 - Deconfliction
 - Identifying false positives
 - Criminal activity
• Goal reprioritization
• Presentation of findings

4.4 Explain post-report delivery activities.
• Post-engagement cleanup
 - Removing shells
 - Removing tester-created credentials
 - Removing tools
• Client acceptance
• Lessons learned
• Follow-up actions/retest
• Attestation of findings
• Data destruction process
5.0 Tools and Code Analysis 16% 5.1 Explain the basic concepts of scripting and software development.
• Logic constructs
 - Loops
 - Conditionals
 - Boolean operator
 - String operator
 - Arithmetic operator
• Data structures
 - JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)
 - Key value
 - Arrays
 - Dictionaries
 - Comma-separated values (CSV)
 - Lists
 - Trees
• Libraries
• Classes
• Procedures
• Functions

5.2 Given a scenario, analyze a script or code sample for use in a penetration test.
• Shells
 - Bash
 - PS
• Programming languages
 - Python
 - Ruby
 - Perl
 - JavaScript
• Analyze exploit code to:
 - Download files
 - Launch remote access
 - Enumerate users
 - Enumerate assets
• Opportunities for automation
 - Automate penetration testing process
  - Perform port scan and then  
    automate next  
    steps based on results
  - Check configurations  
    and produce a report
 - Scripting to modify IP addresses  
   during a test
 - Nmap scripting to enumerate  
   ciphers and produce reports
   
5.3 Explain use cases of the following tools during the phases of a penetration test.
• Scanners
 - Nikto
 - Open vulnerability assessment  
   scanner (Open VAS)
 - SQLmap
 - Nessus
 - Open Security Content  
   Automation Protocol (SCAP)
 - Wapiti
 - WPScan
 - Brakeman
 - Scout Suite
• Credential testing tools
 - Hashcat
 - Medusa
 - Hydra
 - CeWL
 - John the Ripper
 - Cain
 - Mimikatz
 - Patator
 - DirBuster
 - w3af
• Debuggers
 - OllyDbg
 - Immunity Debugger
 - GNU Debugger (GDB)
 - WinDbg
 - Interactive Disassembler (IDA)
 - Covenant
 - SearchSploit
• OSINT
 - WHOIS
 - Nslookup
 - Fingerprinting Organization  
   with Collected Archives (FOCA)
 - theHarvester
 - Shodan
 - Maltego
 - Recon-ng
 - Censys
• Wireless
 - Aircrack-ng suite
 - Kismet
 - Wifite2
 - Rogue access point
 - EAPHammer
 - mdk4
 - Spooftooph
 - Reaver
 - Wireless Geographic  
   Logging Engine (WiGLE)
 - Fern
• Web application tools
 - OWASP ZAP
 - Burp Suite
 - Gobuster
• Social engineering tools
 - Social Engineering Toolkit (SET)
 - BeEF
• Remote access tools
 - Secure Shell (SSH)
 - Ncat
 - Netcat
 - ProxyChains
• Networking tools
 - Wireshark
 - Hping
• Misc.
 - SearchSploit
 - Responder
 - Impacket tools
 - Empire
 - Metasploit
 - mitm6
 - CrackMapExec
 - TruffleHog
 - Censys
• Steganography tools
 - Openstego
 - Steghide
 - Snow
 - Coagula
 - Sonic Visualiser
 - TinEye
• Cloud tools
 - Scout Suite
 - CloudBrute
 - Pacu
 - Cloud Custodian

Updates in the CompTIA PT0-002 Exam Topics:

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