CREST CREST Threat Intelligence & Risk Assessment 3

Question 1

What is the primary goal of threat hunting in a security operations context?

Accepted Answer

Proactively searching for hidden threats that evade automated detection

Answer

Threat hunting proactively searches for adversary TTPs and hidden malicious activity that has bypassed automated detection tools.

Question 2

In threat modeling, what does 'attack surface' refer to?

Accepted Answer

The sum of all points where an attacker can try to enter or extract data from an environment

Answer

The attack surface encompasses all exposed entry points—APIs, user inputs, open ports, protocols—that an attacker could potentially exploit.

Question 3

Which assessment methodology specifically evaluates an organization's defenses against real-world threat actor TTPs rather than known vulnerability lists?

Accepted Answer

Red team assessment / adversary simulation

Answer

Red team assessments simulate real-world threat actor TTPs to test an organization's detection, response, and resilience capabilities holistically.

Question 4

What is the difference between a 'white box' and 'black box' penetration test in terms of threat intelligence provided?

Accepted Answer

White box provides full architecture and credentials; black box simulates an external attacker with no prior knowledge

Answer

White box tests provide the tester with full system knowledge (architecture, source code, credentials), while black box tests simulate an external attacker starting with no insider knowledge.

Question 5

In risk assessment terminology, what is residual risk?

Accepted Answer

Risk remaining after security controls have been applied

Answer

Residual risk is the risk that remains after implementing security controls, and organizations must decide whether to accept, transfer, or further mitigate it.

(CREST) Council for Registered Ethical Security Testers Practice Test

(CREST) Council for Registered Ethical Security Testers Practice Test

CREST CREST Threat Intelligence & Risk Assessment 3