CompTIA PenTest+ Practice Test

Which scanning method is used to verify compliance with corporate, industry, or governmental regulations?

1. Vulnerability scanning

2. Compliance scanning

3. Penetration testing

4. Network reconnaissance

The correct answer is: Compliance scanning

Compliance scanning is specifically designed to assess whether an organization meets the required regulatory standards or internal policies. This method involves evaluating the systems, processes, and policies in place to ensure they adhere to stipulations set forth by corporate, industry, or governmental regulations. These can include standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and others, which have specific requirements businesses must follow to protect data and maintain security. In a compliance scan, tools measure various aspects of the organization’s infrastructure, looking for configurations, software, and practices that either comply with or violate these regulations. The end goal is to generate reports that identify areas of compliance as well as those needing improvement to avoid penalties or data breaches. Other scanning methods like vulnerability scanning focus primarily on identifying weaknesses and potential security holes in systems and applications without necessarily checking for regulatory compliance. Penetration testing, while a thorough examination of vulnerabilities, aims to simulate real-world attacks to determine system resilience, not specifically adherence to regulations. Network reconnaissance is typically aimed more at gathering information about systems for potential exploitation, rather than evaluating compliance with regulatory standards.