VAPT interview questions mean vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT) has become increasingly vital to enterprises seeking to protect themselves against cyber-attacks; as a result, demand for workers trained in VAPT continues to surge.

Here, we will address the most frequently requested VAPT interview questions and provide insight on how best to answer them effectively.

So, let’s dive in and discover ways you can conquer any VAPT interview!

1. Can you explain VAPT and its purpose in the context of infrastructures?

VAPT stands for Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing.

Its purpose is to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in a company’s infrastructure, helping to improve security measures and protect against potential threats.

2. What is the faintness of APT’s authentication and authorisation methods?

The weaknesses in the authentication and authorisation methods used in APT include over 2.0 open ID and open I D connect JWT tokens.

3. What is the post-carbon trend in accepting VAPT, and how has it affected its adoption in small companies?

The post-carbon trend suggests an increasing acceptance of VAPT and an understanding of its importance in even the smallest companies.

This trend has been driven by government support for digitisation and security and security engineers doing VAPT while working from home.

4. How has the acceptance of VAPT been, and what has led to change?

The acceptance of VAPT has decreased, as companies know it is necessary.

In the past, there was a trend to protect everything by going by audit or standard.

However, companies are now more aware that testing controls are essential, and they are using simulated testing to improve their IDSIPS, firewall, and SIN capabilities.

5. What skills are enclosed in infrastructure PT sequences?

Infrastructure PT courses cover host discovery techniques, scanning techniques, policy configuration, and identifying vulnerabilities based on software versions.

6. What resources are recommended for practising structure PT?

The best practice is on tri-hackmeuter.com for infrastructure P T, while paid courses like Pentasploit and certifications like OSCP and P and PT are available.

7. Explain the Presentation in VAPT.

The presentation focuses on sharing a Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) learning mind map or step-by-step guide with the audience.

8. What is the main difference between assessment and penetration testing?

Assessment involves identifying web identifiers and determining their availability, exploitability, or non-explore ability.

Penetration testing, on the other hand, focuses on identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities to show how hackers would use them for their benefit.

9. What is the outcome of the Vulnerability Assessment (VA)?

The outcome of VA is a confirmed list of vulnerabilities in a particular application or network infrastructure.

10. What is the scope of penetration testing?

The penetration testing scope is focused and deep, going as deep as possible to identify the impact on a business financially or in terms of brand protection.

11. What is the outcome of Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT)?

The outcome of VAPT is a prioritised list of vulnerabilities, a step-by-step walkthrough of how the hacker exploited the vulnerabilities, and the lateral movement into the network or application.

12. Why is remediation for vulnerabilities crucial?

Remediation for vulnerabilities is crucial to restrict permissions on databases, use low-privileged users on web servers, and test the system to identify components that were easy to exploit in case of utilisation.

13. What does a security engineer do in a VAPT  job?

A security engineer uses techniques such as NMA (Network Mapping and Authentication), Tenableness, and MOS (Metasploit Framework) to gather information about a company’s internet presence, subdomains, and websites hosted by the company or the internet.

14. What was the issue an internal security engineer faced, and how did they address it?

The internal security engineer found 25,000 assets in their network that were not identified by their organisation due to a lack of CMDB.

They addressed this issue by running an asset discovery in their network using their tool for Tenable IO, leading to increased tenable licenses and active VS scans to cover their entire attack surface.

15. Why is regular asset discovery crucial for a security engineer?

Regular asset discovery is crucial for VPT jobs and ensuring the security of their networks.

By using various techniques like NMA, MOS, and other tools, they can identify and address potential threats to their organisation.

16. What is involved in the scanning process?

The scanning process involves using licensed or automated tools, such as Tenablenesses, to identify vulnerabilities in network infrastructure.

These tools also support web applications, such as academic, subnets, and per card.

17. What is crucial when configuring scans and scan policies?

It is crucial to configure scan policies appropriately, as default settings may only cover 12,000 ports.

Depending on the network infrastructure being scanned, there may be limitations, such as the inability to use DOS techniques through scans.

18. What are the essential focus areas for learning VAPT?

Focus areas for VAPT learning include exploitation, resources, basic networking knowledge (like a land man can man, logical classifications, distributed networks, server networks, internet, and D M C), understanding OSI and TCP models, and basic cryptography.

19. Why is understanding the OSI and TCP models essential in VAPT?

Understanding the OSI and TCP models is crucial for understanding web or infrastructure activities.

They provide a basis for understanding scanning techniques based on the TCP I header and using standard ports like DNS, BSCP, and S M P for specific purposes.

20. How is confirmation of vulnerabilitiesperformed?

Most scanners rely on a software version to report vulnerabilities, so if an Apache 2.24 version has excess vulnerabilities, it may be unable to detect them.

Tools or scripts available in Kali Linux or GitHub can be used to confirm vulnerabilities.

21. What is the purpose of the Qawditz tool?

The Qawditz tool is not mentioned in the discussion, but its quality is good, and the quality is also there.

The forum is recorded and shared on a platform.

22. How can vulnerabilities be reported to developers?

Vulnerabilities can be reported to developers by using various tools.

If two or three tools can ensure a vulnerability, one can report it to the developers.

23. What is the importance of using specific open-source tools like SNMP?

A specific open-source tool like SNMP can help check if any IDs are visible on the SNMP port.

24. What remainsvital in prioritisation and exploitation in a company?

Prioritisation and exploitation are crucial for a company to effectively manage and mitigate potential vulnerabilities and protect its systems.

25. How can vulnerabilities on specific ports be confirmed?

Vulnerabilities on specific ports can be confirmed using tools like Wappellizer and jQuery.

26. How is prioritisation based on CVDT done?

Prioritisation based on CVDT involves prioritising critical vulnerabilities first.

27. Why is exploitability an essential factor to consider in vulnerability management?

Exploitability is crucial because scanners may report vulnerabilities like outdated Python 2.7 versions as critical or high.

Still, if the system is internal and not exposed outside a particular VLAN segment, it is okay to prioritise other critical vulnerabilities over outdated OS.

28. What additional capabilities does the scanner have when providing credentials?

The scanner can also identify OS-based vulnerabilities when provided with credentials.

29. What is agentless scanning, and what are its advantages?

Agentless scanning uses existing agents with all necessary privileges, providing insights into system vulnerabilities.

It is beneficial as it doesn’t require installing agents on each system, reducing resource usage and simplifying management.

30. What risks are associated with using VAS (Vulnerability Assessment System) tools?

Some risks associated with VAS tools include root access on other VMS systems, which can lead to potential issues such as stopping or crashing production systems if the user doesn’t know what they are trying to do.

31. How can the risks associated with VAS tools be mitigated?

The risks can be mitigated by having proper permissions, testing the server to handle the tools, and ensuring that the tools are super-protected with logs travelling through the system.

32. What is the difference between the CVSS to XVAS score and the CVSS to XVAS base score in CVSS 2 and 3?

The differences between CVSS to XVAS score and CVSS to XVAS base score in CVSS 2 and 3 are unknown, but some factors may be added to the base score.

33. What vulnerability scanning, and which is more recommended?

Offers both agent-based and agent-less solutions.

Agent-based scanning is more recommended for identifying vulnerabilities with fewer false positives.

34. What tools are typically used in product-based companies and consulting firms to present vulnerabilities?

In product-based companies, ticket-based tools like Jira are used, while consulting firms generate Power Flow Reports (PDR) reports to present vulnerabilities.

35. What is the difference between VAPT and PT?

The difference between VAPT and PT is that the PT step includes exploitation as an extra step.

VAPT is now considered an essential part of identification, while exploitation requires manual efforts.

36. Can you describe different types of VAPT and their focus areas?

Different types of VAPT include on-premise infrastructure VAPT (breaking into cloud resources).

Cloud infrastructure VAPT (identifying vulnerabilities within private VPCs) and application VAPT (web application PTs, mobile application API, and thick integration testing).

37. What are some business applications of the VAPT application?

Application VAPT is relevant to the business of robotic process automation tools, such as Microsoft Teams and computerised process automation tools, like RP and UiPath.

38. What is the importance of asset management solutions in organisations employing security solutions?

Asset management solutions are essential to identify system owners, which can be a significant challenge.

Tools like CMDB, VMware V Squares, and V Centres can be integrated to report ESX size information automatically, ensuring that only the network and security teams can handle the situation.

39. How can a CMDB help in managing assets?

A CMDB can help track 78% of systems and shut down 20% when they go offline.

It should have a unique max policy and not duplicate max.

Tools like Thin Blinds can help identify two systems with different MAC addresses.

They actively try to navigate through different technologies, whether a web or a pregnancy.

Red teamers are highly skilled in VPT and can guide you on how to start with VPT.

40. What is the role of Red Teamers in VPT?

Red Teamers are skilled in VPT and can guide individuals on how to start with VPT.

They also help organisations navigate various technologies and improve their security posture by identifying system owners and implementing a unique max policy.

41. What is the importance of asset management solutions in organisations employing security solutions?

Asset management solutions help organisations identify system owners and implement a unique max policy, which in turn helps them navigate various technologies and improve their security posture.

42. How can limitations in scanning be addressed?

It is essential to segregate systems separately and create separate policies for scanning assets according to that policy to address limitations.

43. How is the provider of the list of susceptibilities identified?

The provider of the list of vulnerabilities can be identified through publicly available data, such as CV returns or NVD, where the current software version is listed.

This allows for the identification of vulnerabilities and their vulnerabilities.

44. Why is basic cryptography knowledge essential in VAPT?

Basic cryptography knowledge is essential in VAPT to understand vulnerabilities and resources.

It includes understanding the group geography of cryptography (symmetric and asymmetric cryptography), weak SSL protocols and weak SSL cyphers, and different viruses like malware, ransomware, ROS, and rootkits.

45. What is the significance of reading the basics in VAPT?

Reading the basics in VAPT provides a comprehensive guide to understanding vulnerabilities and resources.

It helps individuals protect themselves from vulnerabilities and ensure a secure online environment.

46. What percentage of API security testing is covered by web application security testing?

Web Application Beauty covers 90% of API security testing cases.

47. Why are learning platform-specific test cases for Android and iOS important in mobile application testing?

Mobile applications also consume APIs and learning platform-specific test cases for Android and iOS is recommended.

This involves decompiling the application, looking through manifest files, and using tools like mobile safe or browser.

48. How do beginners become 80-90% ready for mobile application, API, and web application security testing?

By focusing on web applications and PT and exploiting web vulnerabilities, beginners will be 80-90% ready for mobile application, API, and web application security testing.

49. What is essential to understand web application fundamentals?

It’s crucial to understand certificate requests and responses, URLs in the browser, DNS operations, and more in web application fundamentals.

50. What is the recommended method for testing vulnerabilities in web applications?

Using testing guides rather than tools, such as Visualization’s four to five examples, to test vulnerabilities is a recommended practice.

Look through these examples, replicate step-by-step processes, and apply them to your application.

51. What is essential when cracking interviews for web application PTR (Path-to-Point) attacks?

Explaining each attack with practical examples is essential when cracking interviews for web application PTR (Path-to-Point) attacks.

52. How much of Application Security Testing (APT) is covered by tools like Postman?

Tools like Postman can cover about 80% of Application Security Testing (APT).

53. How has the interest in VAPT changed among companies, especially smaller ones?

Only established companies were historically interested in VAPT due to financial or sensitivity issues.

However, there has been an increase in work bounty hunters targeting small companies with internet presence, even those not into crucial businesses like e-commerce, leading to a greater interest in VAPT among smaller companies.

54. What resources are recommended to identify and test the weaknesses in APT?

Free certification courses on APT Academy and second-year city.com can help identify and test these weaknesses.

55. What courses are recommended for infrastructure PT?

OSCP by Office Security and PNPT by TCMC are recommended for infrastructure PT.

56. How has VAPT become a significant aspect of company security, and why is it crucial for businesses?

VAPT has become a rage in the career due to increasing threats and opportunities for companies to ensure security at various levels.

The conversation on why VAPT needs to be implemented is reducing, and companies are now more aware of the importance of VAPT in their businesses.

57. Can you share your expertise in VAPT and application security?

VAPT and application security, including web mobile APK, thick, Kubernetes, Docker environments, source code reviews, spear phishing email security, and endpoint security for my current company.

Also hold certifications in CH data, Kubernetes admin status, cyber security, CCST, CCN, electronic synthetic communication engineering, and MBA.

Let’s get this platform’s most significant questions out of the way first: multiple-choice questions!!!

1. What is the main topic conferred in the VAPT?

The increasing awareness of VAPT among companies ✔️
past of VAPT
future of VAPT
impact of VAPT on companies’ infrastructure.

2. Who was initially interested in VAPT?

Small companies
Established companies ✔️
Startups
Government agencies

3. Why do work bounty hunters now target small companies?

Have a strong internet presence. ✔️
Crucial businesses like e-commerce.
A lot of financial resources.
Weak security measures.

4. What does the text suggest about the post-carbon trend and VAPT adoption?

Significant increase in its acceptance.
There is a slight decrease in their implementation.
No change to approval.
The post-carbon trend has nothing to do with VAPT adoption. ✔️

5. Why are companies now more aware of the importance of VAPT?

Testing controls are essential. ✔️
An audit or standard is enough.
the importance of VAPT
They are not interested in VAPT.

6. In which areas do companies have more threats and opportunities to ensure security?

IDSIPS, firewall, and SIN capabilities
Web, mobile APK, thick, Kubernetes, Docker environments
Source code reviews, spear phishing email security, and endpoint security ✔️
C H data, Kubernetes admin status, cyber security, CCST, CCN, electronic synthetic communication engineer, and MBA

7. What is the difference between Assessment and Penetration Testing?

The assessment identifies web identifiers, while Penetration Testing identifies and exploits vulnerabilities. ✔️
The valuation emphasises one perilous susceptibility.
While Penetration Testing is deep.
None of the above

8. What is the outcome of the Vulnerability Assessment (VA)?

A confirmed list of vulnerabilities in a particular application or network infrastructure ✔️
list of known one-in-abilities across an organisation
report on financial or brand protection-related impacts
detailed analysis of missing checks, such as firewalls or excessive permissions for database users

9. What is the outcome of the testing?

The prioritised list of vulnerabilities
Step-by-step walkthrough of how the hacker exploited the system
Report on lateral movement into the network or application
All of the above ✔️

10. What is a VAPT?

A method to identify new network infrastructure and internet assets ✔️
Technique to gather information about a company’s internet presence, subdomains, and websites Hosted by the company or the internet
Tool for Tenable IO

11. What tools are used in the scanning process to identify vulnerabilities in network infrastructure?

Tenablenesses ✔️
NVD
CV returns
Both a and b

12. What are the limits of using DOS techniques through scans?

Only cover 12,000 ports.
They may not work depending on the network infrastructure being scanned. ✔️
Not practical for web applications.
None of the above

Any business seeking to ensure the security and protection of its network and systems should undertake Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT).

VAPT allows companies to identify weaknesses that hackers could exploit before taking preventive steps against such exploits.

We explored some of the most frequently requested VAPT interview questions and their importance and benefits in protecting an organisation’s assets and reputation.

VAPTs play an essential role in protecting assets while upholding organisations’ reputations.

Hopeful of finding this blog to provide helpful insight and information into VAPT interviews for ambitious professionals to prepare them correctly, we wish this to have been of service!

All the Best !! Thank You!!!