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The SecOps Group CAP Exam - Topic 27 Question 112 Discussion

A robots.txt file tells the search engine crawlers about the URLs which the crawler can access on your site. Which of the following is true about robots.txt?
A) Developers must not list any sensitive files and directories in this file
B) Developers must list all sensitive files and directories in this file to secure them
C) Both A and B
D) None of the above

The SecOps Group CAP Exam - Topic 27 Question 112 Discussion

Actual exam question for The SecOps Group's CAP exam
Question #: 112
Topic #: 27
[All CAP Questions]

A robots.txt file tells the search engine crawlers about the URLs which the crawler can access on your site. Which of the following is true about robots.txt?

Show Suggested Answer Hide Answer
Suggested Answer: A

The robots.txt file is a text file placed in a website's root directory to communicate with web crawlers (e.g., Googlebot) about which pages or resources should not be accessed or indexed. It uses directives like Disallow to specify restricted areas (e.g., Disallow: /admin/). However, robots.txt is not a security mechanism; it is only a request to crawlers, and malicious bots or users can ignore it.

Option A ('Developers must not list any sensitive files and directories in this file'): Correct. Listing sensitive files or directories (e.g., Disallow: /secret/) in robots.txt can inadvertently expose their existence to attackers, who can then attempt to access them directly. The best practice is to avoid mentioning sensitive paths and rely on proper access controls (e.g., authentication, authorization) instead.

Option B ('Developers must list all sensitive files and directories in this file to secure them'): Incorrect. Listing sensitive paths in robots.txt does not secure them; it only informs crawlers to avoid them, and it can serve as a roadmap for attackers.

Option C ('Both A and B'): Incorrect, as A and B are contradictory; B is false.

Option D ('None of the above'): Incorrect, as A is true.

The correct answer is A, aligning with the CAP syllabus under 'Web Crawler Security' and 'Information Disclosure Prevention.'


Contribute your Thoughts:

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Moon
1 day ago
Definitely A! It's all about controlling access, not securing files.
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Janella
6 days ago
I think B is misleading. You shouldn't list sensitive stuff at all!
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Junita
11 days ago
Wait, so listing sensitive files doesn't actually protect them?
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Chanel
17 days ago
Totally agree, A is the right choice!
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Lonny
22 days ago
A robots.txt file is just a guideline for crawlers, not a security measure.
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Stephen
27 days ago
I'm a bit confused. I thought we were supposed to keep sensitive files out of robots.txt, but I also remember something about security practices. Maybe it's A?
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Man
1 month ago
I feel like there was a practice question about this, and it was clear that listing sensitive files could expose them. So, I think A is correct.
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Rolande
1 month ago
I think we discussed in class that sensitive files shouldn't be listed in robots.txt, but I can't recall the exact reason why.
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Dalene
1 month ago
I remember studying that robots.txt is mainly for guiding crawlers, but I'm not sure if sensitive files should be listed or not.
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