A penetration tester needs to evaluate the order in which the next systems will be selected for testing. Given the following output:
Hostname | IP address | CVSS 2.0 | EPSS
hrdatabase | 192.168.20.55 | 9.9 | 0.50
financesite | 192.168.15.99 | 8.0 | 0.01
legaldatabase | 192.168.10.2 | 8.2 | 0.60
fileserver | 192.168.125.7 | 7.6 | 0.90
Which of the following targets should the tester select next?
Correct Answer: A
Given the output, the penetration tester should select the fileserver as the next target for testing, considering both CVSS and EPSS scores.
* CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System):
* Purpose: CVSS provides a numerical score to represent the severity of vulnerabilities, helping to prioritize remediation efforts.
* Higher Scores: Indicate more severe vulnerabilities.
* EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System):
* Purpose: EPSS estimates the likelihood that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days.
* Higher Scores: Indicate a higher likelihood of exploitation.
* Evaluation:
* hrdatabase: CVSS = 9.9, EPSS = 0.50
* financesite: CVSS = 8.0, EPSS = 0.01
* legaldatabase: CVSS = 8.2, EPSS = 0.60
* fileserver: CVSS = 7.6, EPSS = 0.90
* The fileserver has the highest EPSS score, indicating a high likelihood of exploitation, despite having a slightly lower CVSS score compared to hrdatabase and legaldatabase.
Pentest References:
* Prioritization: Balancing between severity (CVSS) and exploitability (EPSS) is crucial for effective vulnerability management.
* Risk Assessment: Evaluating both the impact and the likelihood of exploitation helps in making informed decisions about testing priorities.
By selecting the fileserver, which has a high EPSS score, the penetration tester focuses on a target that is more likely to be exploited, thereby addressing the most immediate risk.