Planning and Scoping Flashcards
7 cards from real EJPT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Planning and Scoping flashcards as text
A penetration tester discovers a critical Remote Code Execution vulnerability during business hours. Per the Rules of Engagement, all critical findings must be immediately reported. What should the tester do?
Answer: Immediately notify the client's designated contact per the agreed escalation procedure
Critical findings with immediate business risk must be escalated to the client right away, as defined in the Rules of Engagement.
What is the significance of an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) in a penetration testing engagement?
Answer: It prohibits the tester from disclosing confidential client information discovered during the engagement
An NDA protects the client by legally preventing the tester from disclosing sensitive information discovered during the assessment.
Which of the following is the MOST important consideration when determining whether to include production systems in the scope of a penetration test?
Answer: The potential business impact if testing causes downtime or data corruption
Production systems carry the highest risk during testing because disruption can cause real business impact, making careful scoping and timing critical.
A client requests a penetration test but does not want the IT team informed. What type of engagement is this?
Answer: Double-blind or blind test
A double-blind test means the internal IT/security team is not informed, testing their detection and response capabilities as well as finding vulnerabilities.
Before beginning active scanning in a penetration test, what must a tester always verify?
Answer: That the target IP addresses or hostnames match those authorized in the scope document
Verifying target addresses against the authorized scope prevents accidental testing of unauthorized systems, which could have legal consequences.
What is 'scope creep' in a penetration testing engagement?
Answer: When testing activities expand beyond the originally agreed-upon boundaries without formal authorization
Scope creep occurs when the testing expands beyond agreed boundaries, which requires a formal change order or addendum to the contract.
Which phase of a penetration test involves gathering information about the target without sending any packets to the target systems?
Answer: Passive reconnaissance
Passive reconnaissance collects information from public sources (OSINT) without directly interacting with the target systems.