GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies Practice Test

A Red Team would use the following command for which purpose? # nmap -vv -sS -p- 10.10.1.1

1. Identifying open ports that could be used to compromise a host

2. Determining updates needed for the host's asset inventory record

3. Identifying unauthorized open ports to disable on the host

4. Determining version information for services running on the host

The correct answer is: Identifying open ports that could be used to compromise a host

The command provided utilizes Nmap, a well-known network scanning tool, which is particularly effective for identifying open ports on a target host. The specific flags in the command have distinct purposes: - The `-vv` option enables verbose mode, providing more detailed output about the scan's progress and results. - The `-sS` option indicates a stealth SYN scan, which is a common technique used to detect open ports without establishing a full TCP connection, thus minimizing detection by the target. - The `-p-` option specifies to scan all 65535 TCP ports, rather than just the common ones, ensuring a comprehensive assessment. Given this context, the primary purpose of running this command is to identify open ports on the host at the specified IP address (10.10.1.1). Open ports can be potential entry points for attackers, providing opportunities to exploit vulnerabilities in running services. Therefore, the command is fundamentally about reconnaissance to discover which ports are accessible and could potentially be used to compromise the host.