Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

Which of the following is NOT considered a misconfiguration vulnerability?

1. Running unnecessary services

2. Using default passwords

3. Enabling debugging mode

4. Running only necessary services on a machine

The correct answer is: Running only necessary services on a machine

Running only necessary services on a machine significantly contributes to strengthening security posture and is an essential practice in hardening systems. It reduces the attack surface by minimizing the number of services that could be potentially exploited by an attacker. In contrast, the other options—running unnecessary services, using default passwords, and enabling debugging mode—represent common misconfigurations that could lead to increased vulnerabilities. When unnecessary services are run, they can provide additional entry points for attacks. Default passwords often remain unchanged, making systems susceptible to unauthorized access easily exploited by attackers familiar with those defaults. Similarly, enabling debugging mode can inadvertently expose sensitive information about the application or system's operation to potential attackers. Thus, focusing on running only necessary services is a best practice, while the other options highlight common vulnerabilities that should be avoided to enhance security.