CompTIA PT0-003 Exam - Topic 3 Question 27 Discussion

Actual exam question for CompTIA's PT0-003 exam

Question #: 27
Topic #: 3

[Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning]

A penetration tester observes the following output from an Nmap command while attempting to troubleshoot connectivity to a Linux server:

Starting Nmap 7.91 ( https://nmap.org ) at 2024-01-10 12:00 UTC

Nmap scan report for example.com (192.168.1.10)

Host is up (0.001s latency).

Not shown: 9999 closed ports

PORT STATE SERVICE

21/tcp open ftp

80/tcp open http

135/tcp open msrpc

139/tcp open netbios-ssn

443/tcp open https

2222/tcp open ssh

444/tcp open microsoft-ds

Nmap done: 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 0.23 seconds

Which of the following is the most likely reason for the connectivity issue?

AThe SSH service is running on a different port.

BThe SSH service is blocked by a firewall.

CThe SSH service requires certificate authentication.

DThe SSH service is not active.

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: A

The key detail in the Nmap scan output is that port 2222/tcp is open and running the SSH service. The standard SSH port is 22, so if the tester was attempting to connect on port 22, they would not succeed because SSH is instead listening on port 2222.

This is a common security hardening tactic---moving services to non-standard ports to reduce automated attacks.

There is no indication that the service is blocked (B), or requires certificates (C), or is inactive (D), because Nmap clearly shows the service is open and identified.

CompTIA PenTest+ Reference:

PT0-003 Objective 3.3: Analyze tool output or data related to engagement activities.

Nmap usage and interpreting scan results is emphasized in multiple sections.

by Carey at Aug 01, 2025, 11:29 AM

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Quentin

2 months ago

Certificate authentication? That seems unlikely here.

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Marguerita

2 months ago

Definitely could be a firewall issue.

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Celestina

2 months ago

Looks like SSH is on port 2222.

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Slyvia

3 months ago

Wait, are you sure the service is even running?

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Louis

3 months ago

I think the firewall is blocking it.

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Samira

3 months ago

The output shows the SSH service on port 2222, so I doubt it's inactive. I lean towards the firewall being the issue here.

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Sharen

3 months ago

I'm a bit confused about the certificate authentication option. I don't recall if SSH typically requires that, but it could be a possibility.

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Willetta

4 months ago

I think the firewall might be blocking the SSH service since it's not listed in the open ports. That seems like a common issue we practiced.

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Willie

4 months ago

I remember that if a service is running on a different port, it could cause connectivity issues, but I'm not sure if that's the case here.

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Mitzie

4 months ago

Based on the information provided, the SSH service not being active seems like the most likely reason for the connectivity problem.

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Xochitl

4 months ago

I'm not sure about the certificate authentication requirement. I'll need to research that a bit more before deciding on the answer.

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Clorinda

4 months ago

The SSH service could be blocked by a firewall. That's the most likely explanation for the connectivity issue.

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Jani

5 months ago

The SSH port is open, but maybe it's running on a different port than the standard 22. I should check that first.

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Jesusita

5 months ago

Hmm, this looks like a tricky one. I'll need to carefully analyze the Nmap output to figure out what's going on with the SSH service.

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Jade

6 months ago

Ha, D all the way! The SSH service is not active. Typical Linux admin, forgetting to start the service. Classic!

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Bobbye

6 months ago

Hmm, C seems more likely. The SSH service requires certificate authentication. Gotta love those extra security layers.

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Chau

5 months ago

A: A) The SSH service is running on a different port.

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Tracey

6 months ago

I agree with Emerson, that could be the reason for the connectivity issue.

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Emerson

7 months ago

I think the SSH service is running on a different port.

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Lelia

7 months ago

I'm going with B. The SSH service is blocked by a firewall. Looks like they have some tight security measures in place.

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Melissa

7 months ago

The SSH service is running on a different port, that's gotta be the issue. 2222, really? Whoever set up this server has some weird preferences.

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Tricia

5 months ago

C: It's possible that the SSH service is not active on port 22. That would definitely cause a connectivity issue.

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Roslyn

5 months ago

B: Maybe the firewall is blocking the SSH service on the default port. That could explain the problem.

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Milly

5 months ago

B) The SSH service is blocked by a firewall.

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Devora

6 months ago

A) The SSH service is running on a different port.

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Dorothy

7 months ago

A: Yeah, it's strange to have SSH running on port 2222. That could definitely be causing the connectivity issue.

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