Question

You are scoping an upcoming white box penetration test with a new client. Their network employs network access control (NAC) using IPSec. Which technique will your penetration testers need to use to enable them to access the secure internal network protected by NAC?

A. Certificate pinning
B. Session hijacking
C. Man-in-the-middle
D. Cross-site scripting

Answer 1

Session Hijacking is the technique that penetration testers would likely use to bypass Network Access Control (NAC) using IPSec, as it involves taking over a legitimate session that could circumvent security policies. (Option B)

Step-by-step explanation:

You are inquiring about which technique penetration testers need to use to access a secure internal network protected by Network Access Control (NAC) that employs IPSec. In this scenario, the most applicable technique from the options provided would be Session Hijacking. This is because session hijacking involves taking over a legitimate session between a client and a server, which can possibly bypass network security mechanisms, including NAC which enforces policies via mechanisms like IPSec. Certificate pinning is more related to preventing man-in-the-middle attacks by associating a host with their expected SSL certificate. Man-in-the-middle attacks, while related to session hijacking, are more about intercepting and potentially altering communications between two parties. Cross-site scripting is a type of vulnerability that typically involves injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users and would not directly help in bypassing an NAC.

Scenario-based penetration testing or ethical hacking activities focused on NAC environments might include attempts at session hijacking.