TENABLE VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST | FINAL EXAM
PREP 2026/2027 | QUESTIONS AND 100% VERIFIED ANSWERS | 100%
PASS GUARANTEE
Tenable Vulnerability Management Specialist
Q1. What is the primary purpose of a Host Discovery scan in
Tenable Vulnerability Management? ANSWER To identify live
hosts and open ports on a network without performing a full
vulnerability assessment.
Q2. Which scan template in Tenable VM is used for basic host
discovery? ANSWER The “Host Discovery” scan template.
Q3. What protocol does Tenable VM primarily use for host
discovery on Windows networks? ANSWER ICMP (ping) and
NetBIOS.
Q4. What protocol is primarily used for host discovery on
Linux/Unix systems? ANSWER ICMP (ping) and TCP/UDP port
probing.
Q5. Can Host Discovery scans identify the operating system of
discovered hosts? ANSWER Yes, through OS fingerprinting during
the discovery process.
Generated by Kimi.ai
,Q6. What is the difference between an “Up” host and a
“Responding” host in discovery results? ANSWER An “Up” host
responded to ping/ICMP, while a “Responding” host responded to
TCP/UDP probes but not ICMP.
Q7. Which ports are commonly probed during a default Host
Discovery scan? ANSWER Common ports include 21 (FTP), 22
(SSH), 23 (Telnet), 25 (SMTP), 80 (HTTP), 110 (POP3), 139
(NetBIOS), 443 (HTTPS), 445 (SMB), 3306 (MySQL), 3389 (RDP),
and 5900 (VNC).
Q8. What is the benefit of using TCP SYN packets over TCP
Connect for host discovery? ANSWER TCP SYN is faster and
stealthier because it does not complete the full three-way handshake.
Q9. How can you configure a Host Discovery scan to scan a
specific IP range? ANSWER By defining the target range in the
scan settings using CIDR notation or IP ranges.
Q10. What is the maximum number of hosts that can be targeted
in a single Host Discovery scan? ANSWER This depends on the
license, but typically there is no hard limit within practical network
sizes.
Q11. Can Host Discovery scans be scheduled to run
automatically? ANSWER Yes, scans can be scheduled with
specific frequencies (daily, weekly, monthly).
Q12. What is the purpose of the “Ping the remote host” option in
scan settings? ANSWER To determine if a host is alive before
performing deeper scans, saving time and resources.
Generated by Kimi.ai
,Q13. How does Tenable VM handle hosts that do not respond to
ICMP ping? ANSWER It can use TCP/UDP probes to determine if
the host is alive.
Q14. What is a “Dead Host” in Tenable VM terminology?
ANSWER A host that did not respond to any discovery probes
(ICMP, TCP, or UDP).
Q15. Can you exclude specific IP addresses or ranges from a
Host Discovery scan? ANSWER Yes, by adding them to the scan’s
exclusion list.
Q16. What is the default timeout for host discovery probes?
ANSWER The default varies by probe type but is typically a few
seconds per probe.
Q17. How can you improve the accuracy of host discovery in
large networks? ANSWER By increasing the number of retries,
adjusting timeouts, and using multiple probe methods.
Q18. What is the role of the Nessus Network Monitor (NNM) in
host discovery? ANSWER NNM passively discovers hosts by
monitoring network traffic without actively scanning.
Q19. Can Host Discovery scans detect virtual machines?
ANSWER Yes, they can detect VMs just like physical hosts if they
are network-accessible.
Q20. What information does a Host Discovery scan report for
each discovered host? ANSWER IP address, hostname (if
resolvable), MAC address, open ports, and OS fingerprint (if
detected).
Generated by Kimi.ai
, Q21. What is the difference between active and passive host
discovery? ANSWER Active discovery sends probes to targets;
passive discovery monitors network traffic without sending probes.
Q22. Can you run a Host Discovery scan without administrative
privileges? ANSWER Yes, host discovery typically does not require
admin privileges, though some advanced features might.
Q23. How does Tenable VM handle duplicate IP addresses in
discovery results? ANSWER It records each response; duplicates
may indicate IP conflicts or multiple interfaces.
Q24. What is the “Scan Window” feature used for? ANSWER To
limit the time period during which a scan can run, useful for
maintenance windows.
Q25. Can Host Discovery scans be distributed across multiple
scanners? ANSWER Yes, in larger deployments, scans can be
distributed to optimize performance.
Q26. What is the impact of firewalls on Host Discovery scans?
ANSWER Firewalls may block discovery probes, leading to false
negatives (hosts marked as dead).
Q27. How can you verify that a host marked as “Dead” is truly
offline? ANSWER By manually pinging the host or checking network
infrastructure for connectivity issues.
Q28. What is the “Max Group Size” setting in scan
configuration? ANSWER It limits the number of hosts scanned
simultaneously, affecting scan speed and network load.
Q29. Can Host Discovery scans detect mobile devices?
ANSWER Yes, if they are connected to the network and respond to
discovery probes.
Generated by Kimi.ai
PREP 2026/2027 | QUESTIONS AND 100% VERIFIED ANSWERS | 100%
PASS GUARANTEE
Tenable Vulnerability Management Specialist
Q1. What is the primary purpose of a Host Discovery scan in
Tenable Vulnerability Management? ANSWER To identify live
hosts and open ports on a network without performing a full
vulnerability assessment.
Q2. Which scan template in Tenable VM is used for basic host
discovery? ANSWER The “Host Discovery” scan template.
Q3. What protocol does Tenable VM primarily use for host
discovery on Windows networks? ANSWER ICMP (ping) and
NetBIOS.
Q4. What protocol is primarily used for host discovery on
Linux/Unix systems? ANSWER ICMP (ping) and TCP/UDP port
probing.
Q5. Can Host Discovery scans identify the operating system of
discovered hosts? ANSWER Yes, through OS fingerprinting during
the discovery process.
Generated by Kimi.ai
,Q6. What is the difference between an “Up” host and a
“Responding” host in discovery results? ANSWER An “Up” host
responded to ping/ICMP, while a “Responding” host responded to
TCP/UDP probes but not ICMP.
Q7. Which ports are commonly probed during a default Host
Discovery scan? ANSWER Common ports include 21 (FTP), 22
(SSH), 23 (Telnet), 25 (SMTP), 80 (HTTP), 110 (POP3), 139
(NetBIOS), 443 (HTTPS), 445 (SMB), 3306 (MySQL), 3389 (RDP),
and 5900 (VNC).
Q8. What is the benefit of using TCP SYN packets over TCP
Connect for host discovery? ANSWER TCP SYN is faster and
stealthier because it does not complete the full three-way handshake.
Q9. How can you configure a Host Discovery scan to scan a
specific IP range? ANSWER By defining the target range in the
scan settings using CIDR notation or IP ranges.
Q10. What is the maximum number of hosts that can be targeted
in a single Host Discovery scan? ANSWER This depends on the
license, but typically there is no hard limit within practical network
sizes.
Q11. Can Host Discovery scans be scheduled to run
automatically? ANSWER Yes, scans can be scheduled with
specific frequencies (daily, weekly, monthly).
Q12. What is the purpose of the “Ping the remote host” option in
scan settings? ANSWER To determine if a host is alive before
performing deeper scans, saving time and resources.
Generated by Kimi.ai
,Q13. How does Tenable VM handle hosts that do not respond to
ICMP ping? ANSWER It can use TCP/UDP probes to determine if
the host is alive.
Q14. What is a “Dead Host” in Tenable VM terminology?
ANSWER A host that did not respond to any discovery probes
(ICMP, TCP, or UDP).
Q15. Can you exclude specific IP addresses or ranges from a
Host Discovery scan? ANSWER Yes, by adding them to the scan’s
exclusion list.
Q16. What is the default timeout for host discovery probes?
ANSWER The default varies by probe type but is typically a few
seconds per probe.
Q17. How can you improve the accuracy of host discovery in
large networks? ANSWER By increasing the number of retries,
adjusting timeouts, and using multiple probe methods.
Q18. What is the role of the Nessus Network Monitor (NNM) in
host discovery? ANSWER NNM passively discovers hosts by
monitoring network traffic without actively scanning.
Q19. Can Host Discovery scans detect virtual machines?
ANSWER Yes, they can detect VMs just like physical hosts if they
are network-accessible.
Q20. What information does a Host Discovery scan report for
each discovered host? ANSWER IP address, hostname (if
resolvable), MAC address, open ports, and OS fingerprint (if
detected).
Generated by Kimi.ai
, Q21. What is the difference between active and passive host
discovery? ANSWER Active discovery sends probes to targets;
passive discovery monitors network traffic without sending probes.
Q22. Can you run a Host Discovery scan without administrative
privileges? ANSWER Yes, host discovery typically does not require
admin privileges, though some advanced features might.
Q23. How does Tenable VM handle duplicate IP addresses in
discovery results? ANSWER It records each response; duplicates
may indicate IP conflicts or multiple interfaces.
Q24. What is the “Scan Window” feature used for? ANSWER To
limit the time period during which a scan can run, useful for
maintenance windows.
Q25. Can Host Discovery scans be distributed across multiple
scanners? ANSWER Yes, in larger deployments, scans can be
distributed to optimize performance.
Q26. What is the impact of firewalls on Host Discovery scans?
ANSWER Firewalls may block discovery probes, leading to false
negatives (hosts marked as dead).
Q27. How can you verify that a host marked as “Dead” is truly
offline? ANSWER By manually pinging the host or checking network
infrastructure for connectivity issues.
Q28. What is the “Max Group Size” setting in scan
configuration? ANSWER It limits the number of hosts scanned
simultaneously, affecting scan speed and network load.
Q29. Can Host Discovery scans detect mobile devices?
ANSWER Yes, if they are connected to the network and respond to
discovery probes.
Generated by Kimi.ai
