CompTIA PT0-003 Exam - Topic 5 Question 38 Discussion

PsExec is a Windows Sysinternals tool that allows users to execute commands on a remote system without needing an interactive login session. The command above is executing cmd.exe on a remote Windows Active Directory domain machine (server01.cor.ptia.org).

Option A (Test connectivity using PsExec) : The command does not check connectivity; it executes a command remotely.

Option B (Perform a lateral movement attack) : Correct. Lateral movement occurs when an attacker moves from one compromised machine to another within a network, using valid credentials. PsExec is often used for this purpose.

Option C (Send the PsExec binary) : The command runs cmd.exe remotely, but it does not transfer PsExec itself.

Option D (Enable cmd.exe) : cmd.exe is already enabled by default on most Windows systems.

Reference: CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 Official Guide -- Lateral Movement with PsExec