# SEAS-8414 Phase 5 Homework
## Blackboard Multiple-Choice Assessment: Autonomous Penetration Testing

**Due:** Before Class 6, 9:00 AM ET
**Total Points:** 100
**Format:** 50 single-correct-answer multiple choice questions, 2 points each
**Audience:** Doctoral students and senior cybersecurity practitioners

This assessment is designed for Blackboard delivery. Every item is multiple choice
with exactly one correct answer. The assessment is closed book: do not use the
textbook, notes, internet search, lab files, scanners, AI tools, or outside
incident writeups while answering.

Each question includes a scenario-provenance label. That label is a citation
trail for instructors and is never required to choose the answer. Every formula,
threshold, rule, or evidence contract required to answer appears inside the stem.

Chapter boundary: answer only within prescriptive cyber analytics for authorized IoT/OT testing. Do not import later
chapter capabilities unless the stem explicitly defines them.

---

### Question 1

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA AA21-042A on the 2021 U.S. water treatment facility compromise.

A water utility pentest authorization says: no real network traffic is allowed. The
Chapter 5 safety modes are: simulation = no network traffic; shadow = reconnaissance
only and no exploitation; controlled = exploitation only against approved targets;
autonomous = unrestricted exploitation inside an isolated lab. Which mode matches the
authorization exactly?

(a) `controlled`, because every real campaign should test exploitation by default.
(b) `autonomous`, because it maximizes finding count.
(c) `simulation`, because it provides zero-impact theoretical execution.
(d) `simulation`, because all pentest evidence should be theoretical.

### Question 2

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.

A power cooperative pentest authorization says: real reconnaissance is allowed but
exploitation is prohibited. The Chapter 5 safety modes are: simulation = no network
traffic; shadow = reconnaissance only and no exploitation; controlled = exploitation
only against approved targets; autonomous = unrestricted exploitation inside an isolated
lab. Which mode matches the authorization exactly?

(a) `autonomous`, because it maximizes finding count.
(b) `shadow`, because it provides reconnaissance-only execution.
(c) `simulation`, because all pentest evidence should be theoretical.
(d) `controlled`, because every real campaign should test exploitation by default.

### Question 3

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** MITRE ATT&CK for ICS public knowledge base.

A pipeline operator pentest authorization says: exploitation is allowed only for two
named approved targets. The Chapter 5 safety modes are: simulation = no network traffic;
shadow = reconnaissance only and no exploitation; controlled = exploitation only against
approved targets; autonomous = unrestricted exploitation inside an isolated lab. Which
mode matches the authorization exactly?

(a) `controlled`, because it provides human/target-approved exploitation.
(b) `simulation`, because all pentest evidence should be theoretical.
(c) `controlled`, because every real campaign should test exploitation by default.
(d) `autonomous`, because it maximizes finding count.

### Question 4

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** OASIS STIX 2.1 standard.

A maritime port authority pentest authorization says: the lab is isolated and permits
unrestricted exploitation of all lab hosts. The Chapter 5 safety modes are: simulation =
no network traffic; shadow = reconnaissance only and no exploitation; controlled =
exploitation only against approved targets; autonomous = unrestricted exploitation
inside an isolated lab. Which mode matches the authorization exactly?

(a) `simulation`, because all pentest evidence should be theoretical.
(b) `controlled`, because every real campaign should test exploitation by default.
(c) `autonomous`, because it maximizes finding count.
(d) `autonomous`, because it provides full lab-only execution.

### Question 5

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

A hospital medical-device program pentest authorization says: production devices may be
enumerated but credentials cannot be tested. The Chapter 5 safety modes are: simulation
= no network traffic; shadow = reconnaissance only and no exploitation; controlled =
exploitation only against approved targets; autonomous = unrestricted exploitation
inside an isolated lab. Which mode matches the authorization exactly?

(a) `controlled`, because every real campaign should test exploitation by default.
(b) `autonomous`, because it maximizes finding count.
(c) `shadow`, because it provides reconnaissance-only execution.
(d) `simulation`, because all pentest evidence should be theoretical.

### Question 6

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.

A power cooperative evaluates one Chapter 5 campaign segment. Reward rules are: -1 per
action, +10 per newly compromised host, +20 per critical host compromised, +5 per new
service, +3 per credential found, and +2 for the first use of a unique MITRE technique.
The segment has 2 actions, 1 new compromised hosts, 0 critical host compromises, 0 new
services, 0 credentials, and 0 unique techniques. Which reward total is correct?

(a) 21
(b) 8
(c) 10
(d) -1

### Question 7

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** MITRE ATT&CK for ICS public knowledge base.

A pipeline operator evaluates one Chapter 5 campaign segment. Reward rules are: -1 per
action, +10 per newly compromised host, +20 per critical host compromised, +5 per new
service, +3 per credential found, and +2 for the first use of a unique MITRE technique.
The segment has 3 actions, 1 new compromised hosts, 1 critical host compromises, 0 new
services, 1 credentials, and 0 unique techniques. Which reward total is correct?

(a) 30
(b) 33
(c) 10
(d) 41

### Question 8

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** OASIS STIX 2.1 standard.

A maritime port authority evaluates one Chapter 5 campaign segment. Reward rules are: -1
per action, +10 per newly compromised host, +20 per critical host compromised, +5 per
new service, +3 per credential found, and +2 for the first use of a unique MITRE
technique. The segment has 4 actions, 0 new compromised hosts, 1 critical host
compromises, 1 new services, 1 credentials, and 1 unique techniques. Which reward total
is correct?

(a) 30
(b) 6
(c) 20
(d) 26

### Question 9

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

A hospital medical-device program evaluates one Chapter 5 campaign segment. Reward rules
are: -1 per action, +10 per newly compromised host, +20 per critical host compromised,
+5 per new service, +3 per credential found, and +2 for the first use of a unique MITRE
technique. The segment has 5 actions, 2 new compromised hosts, 0 critical host
compromises, 1 new services, 0 credentials, and 2 unique techniques. Which reward total
is correct?

(a) 15
(b) 20
(c) 24
(d) 29

### Question 10

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Yen 1971 k-shortest loopless paths paper.

A rail signaling operator evaluates one Chapter 5 campaign segment. Reward rules are: -1
per action, +10 per newly compromised host, +20 per critical host compromised, +5 per
new service, +3 per credential found, and +2 for the first use of a unique MITRE
technique. The segment has 6 actions, 1 new compromised hosts, 1 critical host
compromises, 0 new services, 2 credentials, and 1 unique techniques. Which reward total
is correct?

(a) 30
(b) 32
(c) 38
(d) 12

### Question 11

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** MITRE ATT&CK for ICS public knowledge base.

A pipeline operator runs Chapter 5 simulation-mode CVE exploitation. The self-contained
rule is: CVSS >= 7.0 succeeds; CVSS >= 5.0 succeeds only if the target port was
discovered through service enumeration; CVSS < 5.0 fails. The candidate CVE has CVSS
9.8, and port_discovered=false. Which outcome follows?

(a) Success; CVSS >= 7.0 succeeds without requiring prior service enumeration.
(b) Success; every CVE in a pentest campaign is treated as exploitable.
(c) Failure; simulation mode never records exploitation success.
(d) Success only if the host is in CISA KEV.

### Question 12

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** OASIS STIX 2.1 standard.

A maritime port authority runs Chapter 5 simulation-mode CVE exploitation. The
self-contained rule is: CVSS >= 7.0 succeeds; CVSS >= 5.0 succeeds only if the target
port was discovered through service enumeration; CVSS < 5.0 fails. The candidate CVE has
CVSS 7.0, and port_discovered=false. Which outcome follows?

(a) Success; every CVE in a pentest campaign is treated as exploitable.
(b) Failure; simulation mode never records exploitation success.
(c) Success only if the host is in CISA KEV.
(d) Success; CVSS >= 7.0 meets the high-severity success rule.

### Question 13

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

A hospital medical-device program runs Chapter 5 simulation-mode CVE exploitation. The
self-contained rule is: CVSS >= 7.0 succeeds; CVSS >= 5.0 succeeds only if the target
port was discovered through service enumeration; CVSS < 5.0 fails. The candidate CVE has
CVSS 6.4, and port_discovered=true. Which outcome follows?

(a) Failure; simulation mode never records exploitation success.
(b) Success only if the host is in CISA KEV.
(c) Success; CVSS >= 5.0 succeeds because the target port was discovered.
(d) Success; every CVE in a pentest campaign is treated as exploitable.

### Question 14

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Yen 1971 k-shortest loopless paths paper.

A rail signaling operator runs Chapter 5 simulation-mode CVE exploitation. The
self-contained rule is: CVSS >= 7.0 succeeds; CVSS >= 5.0 succeeds only if the target
port was discovered through service enumeration; CVSS < 5.0 fails. The candidate CVE has
CVSS 6.4, and port_discovered=false. Which outcome follows?

(a) Success only if the host is in CISA KEV.
(b) Failure; CVSS >= 5.0 still fails until the port is discovered.
(c) Success; every CVE in a pentest campaign is treated as exploitable.
(d) Failure; simulation mode never records exploitation success.

### Question 15

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3 guidance for operational technology.

A food processing plant runs Chapter 5 simulation-mode CVE exploitation. The
self-contained rule is: CVSS >= 7.0 succeeds; CVSS >= 5.0 succeeds only if the target
port was discovered through service enumeration; CVSS < 5.0 fails. The candidate CVE has
CVSS 4.9, and port_discovered=true. Which outcome follows?

(a) Failure; CVSS below 5.0 fails under the stated simulation rule.
(b) Success; every CVE in a pentest campaign is treated as exploitable.
(c) Failure; simulation mode never records exploitation success.
(d) Success only if the host is in CISA KEV.

### Question 16

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** OASIS STIX 2.1 standard.

A maritime port authority reviews a Chapter 5 evidence chain. Each action record is
serialized as canonical JSON with sorted keys, hashed with SHA-256, and linked to the
previous evidence hash. The Merkle root summarizes the full set of evidence records. The
chain verifies cleanly and no record names host 10.9.4.77 as a target, source, or pivot.
Which statement is supported by this evidence mechanism?

(a) It proves the host was physically unreachable from the network.
(b) It proves no packet reached the host from any system in the enterprise.
(c) It permits deleting unrelated records without changing the Merkle root.
(d) The recorded evidence set contains no interaction with 10.9.4.77, and post-hoc removal or modification would change the chain or Merkle root.

### Question 17

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

A hospital medical-device program reviews a Chapter 5 evidence chain. Each action record
is serialized as canonical JSON with sorted keys, hashed with SHA-256, and linked to the
previous evidence hash. The Merkle root summarizes the full set of evidence records. The
chain verifies cleanly and no record names host 10.9.4.77 as a target, source, or pivot.
Which statement is supported by this evidence mechanism?

(a) It proves no packet reached the host from any system in the enterprise.
(b) It permits deleting unrelated records without changing the Merkle root.
(c) The recorded evidence set contains no interaction with 10.9.4.77, and post-hoc removal or modification would change the chain or Merkle root.
(d) It proves the host was physically unreachable from the network.

### Question 18

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Yen 1971 k-shortest loopless paths paper.

A rail signaling operator reviews a Chapter 5 evidence chain. Each action record is
serialized as canonical JSON with sorted keys, hashed with SHA-256, and linked to the
previous evidence hash. The Merkle root summarizes the full set of evidence records. The
chain verifies cleanly and no record names host 10.9.4.77 as a target, source, or pivot.
Which statement is supported by this evidence mechanism?

(a) It permits deleting unrelated records without changing the Merkle root.
(b) The recorded evidence set contains no interaction with 10.9.4.77, and post-hoc removal or modification would change the chain or Merkle root.
(c) It proves the host was physically unreachable from the network.
(d) It proves no packet reached the host from any system in the enterprise.

### Question 19

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3 guidance for operational technology.

A food processing plant reviews a Chapter 5 evidence chain. Each action record is
serialized as canonical JSON with sorted keys, hashed with SHA-256, and linked to the
previous evidence hash. The Merkle root summarizes the full set of evidence records. The
chain verifies cleanly and no record names host 10.9.4.77 as a target, source, or pivot.
Which statement is supported by this evidence mechanism?

(a) The recorded evidence set contains no interaction with 10.9.4.77, and post-hoc removal or modification would change the chain or Merkle root.
(b) It proves the host was physically unreachable from the network.
(c) It proves no packet reached the host from any system in the enterprise.
(d) It permits deleting unrelated records without changing the Merkle root.

### Question 20

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** IEC 62443 industrial automation security standard.

A chemical manufacturing site reviews a Chapter 5 evidence chain. Each action record is
serialized as canonical JSON with sorted keys, hashed with SHA-256, and linked to the
previous evidence hash. The Merkle root summarizes the full set of evidence records. The
chain verifies cleanly and no record names host 10.9.4.77 as a target, source, or pivot.
Which statement is supported by this evidence mechanism?

(a) It proves the host was physically unreachable from the network.
(b) It proves no packet reached the host from any system in the enterprise.
(c) It permits deleting unrelated records without changing the Merkle root.
(d) The recorded evidence set contains no interaction with 10.9.4.77, and post-hoc removal or modification would change the chain or Merkle root.

### Question 21

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

A hospital medical-device program inspects a positive-advantage PPO update. Chapter 5
uses epsilon=0.2, so a positive update clips the policy ratio at 1.2. The old/new policy
ratio is 1.35 and the advantage is 4.0. Which clipped surrogate contribution is used?

(a) 3.20, using the lower clip bound.
(b) 4.00, because PPO discards the policy ratio.
(c) 4.80, using clipped ratio 1.20.
(d) 5.40, using the unclipped ratio.

### Question 22

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Yen 1971 k-shortest loopless paths paper.

A rail signaling operator inspects a positive-advantage PPO update. Chapter 5 uses
epsilon=0.2, so a positive update clips the policy ratio at 1.2. The old/new policy
ratio is 1.50 and the advantage is 2.5. Which clipped surrogate contribution is used?

(a) 2.50, because PPO discards the policy ratio.
(b) 3.00, using clipped ratio 1.20.
(c) 3.75, using the unclipped ratio.
(d) 2.00, using the lower clip bound.

### Question 23

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3 guidance for operational technology.

A food processing plant inspects a positive-advantage PPO update. Chapter 5 uses
epsilon=0.2, so a positive update clips the policy ratio at 1.2. The old/new policy
ratio is 1.25 and the advantage is 6.0. Which clipped surrogate contribution is used?

(a) 7.20, using clipped ratio 1.20.
(b) 7.50, using the unclipped ratio.
(c) 4.80, using the lower clip bound.
(d) 6.00, because PPO discards the policy ratio.

### Question 24

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** IEC 62443 industrial automation security standard.

A chemical manufacturing site inspects a positive-advantage PPO update. Chapter 5 uses
epsilon=0.2, so a positive update clips the policy ratio at 1.2. The old/new policy
ratio is 1.80 and the advantage is 1.5. Which clipped surrogate contribution is used?

(a) 2.70, using the unclipped ratio.
(b) 1.20, using the lower clip bound.
(c) 1.50, because PPO discards the policy ratio.
(d) 1.80, using clipped ratio 1.20.

### Question 25

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Mirai botnet public research by Antonakakis et al..

A smart-building operator inspects a positive-advantage PPO update. Chapter 5 uses
epsilon=0.2, so a positive update clips the policy ratio at 1.2. The old/new policy
ratio is 1.21 and the advantage is 5.0. Which clipped surrogate contribution is used?

(a) 4.00, using the lower clip bound.
(b) 5.00, because PPO discards the policy ratio.
(c) 6.00, using clipped ratio 1.20.
(d) 6.05, using the unclipped ratio.

### Question 26

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Yen 1971 k-shortest loopless paths paper.

A rail signaling operator updates accessible hosts after compromising 10.0.1.5. Chapter
5 says: when an attack graph is available, use graph edges; when no graph is available,
use the same-/24 heuristic. In this case, {mode}. Candidate hosts are {hosts[0]} and
{hosts[1]}; the graph edge set, if used, reaches 10.0.1.9, 10.0.2.20. Which
accessible-host set is correct?

(a) {10.0.1.5}
(b) {10.0.1.9, 10.0.2.20}
(c) {10.0.1.9, 10.0.2.20, 10.0.1.5}
(d) {}

### Question 27

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3 guidance for operational technology.

A food processing plant updates accessible hosts after compromising 10.0.3.5. Chapter 5
says: when an attack graph is available, use graph edges; when no graph is available,
use the same-/24 heuristic. In this case, {mode}. Candidate hosts are {hosts[0]} and
{hosts[1]}; the graph edge set, if used, reaches 10.0.3.9. Which accessible-host set is
correct?

(a) {10.0.3.9}
(b) {10.0.3.9, 10.0.4.9, 10.0.3.5}
(c) {}
(d) {10.0.3.5}

### Question 28

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** IEC 62443 industrial automation security standard.

A chemical manufacturing site updates accessible hosts after compromising 172.16.1.10.
Chapter 5 says: when an attack graph is available, use graph edges; when no graph is
available, use the same-/24 heuristic. In this case, {mode}. Candidate hosts are
{hosts[0]} and {hosts[1]}; the graph edge set, if used, reaches 172.16.9.20. Which
accessible-host set is correct?

(a) {172.16.1.11, 172.16.9.20, 172.16.1.10}
(b) {}
(c) {172.16.1.10}
(d) {172.16.9.20}

### Question 29

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Mirai botnet public research by Antonakakis et al..

A smart-building operator updates accessible hosts after compromising 192.168.7.8.
Chapter 5 says: when an attack graph is available, use graph edges; when no graph is
available, use the same-/24 heuristic. In this case, {mode}. Candidate hosts are
{hosts[0]} and {hosts[1]}; the graph edge set, if used, reaches 192.168.7.30. Which
accessible-host set is correct?

(a) {}
(b) {192.168.7.8}
(c) {192.168.7.30}
(d) {192.168.7.30, 192.168.8.30, 192.168.7.8}

### Question 30

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.

A baggage-handling operator updates accessible hosts after compromising 10.4.2.5.
Chapter 5 says: when an attack graph is available, use graph edges; when no graph is
available, use the same-/24 heuristic. In this case, {mode}. Candidate hosts are
{hosts[0]} and {hosts[1]}; the graph edge set, if used, reaches 10.4.2.17, 10.4.3.100.
Which accessible-host set is correct?

(a) {10.4.2.5}
(b) {10.4.2.17, 10.4.3.100}
(c) {10.4.2.17, 10.4.3.100, 10.4.2.5}
(d) {}

### Question 31

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3 guidance for operational technology.

A food processing plant safety controller evaluates an exploitation action against
10.0.0.7. The campaign mode is `controlled` and the approved target list is ['10.0.0.5',
'10.0.0.6']. The self-contained rules are: simulation permits simulated exploit records
without traffic; shadow blocks exploitation; controlled permits exploitation only for
approved targets; autonomous permits exploitation in the isolated lab. Which decision
follows?

(a) Block the action.
(b) Permit the action because the agent selected it.
(c) Block the action because all exploitation is illegal.
(d) Permit only if the target has the highest BRS.

### Question 32

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** IEC 62443 industrial automation security standard.

A chemical manufacturing site safety controller evaluates an exploitation action against
10.0.0.5. The campaign mode is `controlled` and the approved target list is ['10.0.0.5',
'10.0.0.6']. The self-contained rules are: simulation permits simulated exploit records
without traffic; shadow blocks exploitation; controlled permits exploitation only for
approved targets; autonomous permits exploitation in the isolated lab. Which decision
follows?

(a) Permit the action because the agent selected it.
(b) Block the action because all exploitation is illegal.
(c) Permit only if the target has the highest BRS.
(d) Permit the action.

### Question 33

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Mirai botnet public research by Antonakakis et al..

A smart-building operator safety controller evaluates an exploitation action against
10.0.0.5. The campaign mode is `shadow` and the approved target list is ['10.0.0.5'].
The self-contained rules are: simulation permits simulated exploit records without
traffic; shadow blocks exploitation; controlled permits exploitation only for approved
targets; autonomous permits exploitation in the isolated lab. Which decision follows?

(a) Block the action because all exploitation is illegal.
(b) Permit only if the target has the highest BRS.
(c) Block the action.
(d) Permit the action because the agent selected it.

### Question 34

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.

A baggage-handling operator safety controller evaluates an exploitation action against
10.0.0.8. The campaign mode is `simulation` and the approved target list is []. The
self-contained rules are: simulation permits simulated exploit records without traffic;
shadow blocks exploitation; controlled permits exploitation only for approved targets;
autonomous permits exploitation in the isolated lab. Which decision follows?

(a) Permit only if the target has the highest BRS.
(b) Permit the action.
(c) Permit the action because the agent selected it.
(d) Block the action because all exploitation is illegal.

### Question 35

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA AA21-042A on the 2021 U.S. water treatment facility compromise.

A water utility safety controller evaluates an exploitation action against 10.0.0.9. The
campaign mode is `autonomous` and the approved target list is []. The self-contained
rules are: simulation permits simulated exploit records without traffic; shadow blocks
exploitation; controlled permits exploitation only for approved targets; autonomous
permits exploitation in the isolated lab. Which decision follows?

(a) Permit the action.
(b) Permit the action because the agent selected it.
(c) Block the action because all exploitation is illegal.
(d) Permit only if the target has the highest BRS.

### Question 36

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** IEC 62443 industrial automation security standard.

A chemical manufacturing site uses the Chapter 5 rule-based priority score exactly as
stated in this question. The candidate actions and scores are: default credentials on
camera=100, CVE exploit CVSS 8.1=81, service enumeration=20. The agent chooses the
highest score. Which action is chosen?

(a) service enumeration, because lower scores mean lower noise.
(b) No action, because rule-based agents cannot exploit OT devices.
(c) Random action, because rule-based priority is used only for tie-breaking.
(d) default credentials on camera, score 100.

### Question 37

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Mirai botnet public research by Antonakakis et al..

A smart-building operator uses the Chapter 5 rule-based priority score exactly as stated
in this question. The candidate actions and scores are: CVE exploit CVSS 9.8=98,
pivot=40, service enumeration=20. The agent chooses the highest score. Which action is
chosen?

(a) No action, because rule-based agents cannot exploit OT devices.
(b) Random action, because rule-based priority is used only for tie-breaking.
(c) CVE exploit CVSS 9.8, score 98.
(d) service enumeration, because lower scores mean lower noise.

### Question 38

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.

A baggage-handling operator uses the Chapter 5 rule-based priority score exactly as
stated in this question. The candidate actions and scores are: default credentials on
PLC=100, CVE exploit CVSS 7.5=75, pivot=40. The agent chooses the highest score. Which
action is chosen?

(a) Random action, because rule-based priority is used only for tie-breaking.
(b) default credentials on PLC, score 100.
(c) pivot, because lower scores mean lower noise.
(d) No action, because rule-based agents cannot exploit OT devices.

### Question 39

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA AA21-042A on the 2021 U.S. water treatment facility compromise.

A water utility uses the Chapter 5 rule-based priority score exactly as stated in this
question. The candidate actions and scores are: CVE exploit CVSS 6.0=60, pivot=40,
service enumeration=20. The agent chooses the highest score. Which action is chosen?

(a) CVE exploit CVSS 6.0, score 60.
(b) service enumeration, because lower scores mean lower noise.
(c) No action, because rule-based agents cannot exploit OT devices.
(d) Random action, because rule-based priority is used only for tie-breaking.

### Question 40

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.

A power cooperative uses the Chapter 5 rule-based priority score exactly as stated in
this question. The candidate actions and scores are: default credentials on NVR=100, CVE
exploit CVSS 9.1=91, service enumeration=20. The agent chooses the highest score. Which
action is chosen?

(a) service enumeration, because lower scores mean lower noise.
(b) No action, because rule-based agents cannot exploit OT devices.
(c) Random action, because rule-based priority is used only for tie-breaking.
(d) default credentials on NVR, score 100.

### Question 41

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** Mirai botnet public research by Antonakakis et al..

A smart-building operator PPO pentest policy assigns a high raw logit to `exploit_cve`
for a host that has no discovered vulnerabilities. Chapter 5 action masking sets
impossible action logits to -1e9 before softmax. Which probability statement follows
after masking?

(a) The action is penalized only after execution by the reward function.
(b) The action is allowed in autonomous mode because safety mode disables the mask.
(c) `exploit_cve` receives effectively zero probability because the hard mask overrides the raw logit.
(d) `exploit_cve` remains likely because the raw logit was high.

### Question 42

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.

A baggage-handling operator PPO pentest policy assigns a high raw logit to `exploit_cve`
for a host that has no discovered vulnerabilities. Chapter 5 action masking sets
impossible action logits to -1e9 before softmax. Which probability statement follows
after masking?

(a) The action is allowed in autonomous mode because safety mode disables the mask.
(b) `exploit_cve` receives effectively zero probability because the hard mask overrides the raw logit.
(c) `exploit_cve` remains likely because the raw logit was high.
(d) The action is penalized only after execution by the reward function.

### Question 43

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA AA21-042A on the 2021 U.S. water treatment facility compromise.

A water utility PPO pentest policy assigns a high raw logit to `exploit_cve` for a host
that has no discovered vulnerabilities. Chapter 5 action masking sets impossible action
logits to -1e9 before softmax. Which probability statement follows after masking?

(a) `exploit_cve` receives effectively zero probability because the hard mask overrides the raw logit.
(b) `exploit_cve` remains likely because the raw logit was high.
(c) The action is penalized only after execution by the reward function.
(d) The action is allowed in autonomous mode because safety mode disables the mask.

### Question 44

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.

A power cooperative PPO pentest policy assigns a high raw logit to `exploit_cve` for a
host that has no discovered vulnerabilities. Chapter 5 action masking sets impossible
action logits to -1e9 before softmax. Which probability statement follows after masking?

(a) `exploit_cve` remains likely because the raw logit was high.
(b) The action is penalized only after execution by the reward function.
(c) The action is allowed in autonomous mode because safety mode disables the mask.
(d) `exploit_cve` receives effectively zero probability because the hard mask overrides the raw logit.

### Question 45

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** MITRE ATT&CK for ICS public knowledge base.

A pipeline operator PPO pentest policy assigns a high raw logit to `exploit_cve` for a
host that has no discovered vulnerabilities. Chapter 5 action masking sets impossible
action logits to -1e9 before softmax. Which probability statement follows after masking?

(a) The action is penalized only after execution by the reward function.
(b) The action is allowed in autonomous mode because safety mode disables the mask.
(c) `exploit_cve` receives effectively zero probability because the hard mask overrides the raw logit.
(d) `exploit_cve` remains likely because the raw logit was high.

### Question 46

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.

A baggage-handling operator enables the Chapter 5 LLM strategy advisor for rule-based
target prioritization. The advisor may provide a target multiplier from 0.1 to 2.0;
values outside that range are capped, and the LLM never generates exploit code. A
candidate action has base score 50 and LLM hint 1.8. Which adjusted score is used?

(a) The action is converted into LLM-generated exploit code.
(b) 90.0, using capped multiplier 1.8.
(c) 90.0, using the raw hint without caps.
(d) 50.0, because LLM hints never affect prioritization.

### Question 47

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA AA21-042A on the 2021 U.S. water treatment facility compromise.

A water utility enables the Chapter 5 LLM strategy advisor for rule-based target
prioritization. The advisor may provide a target multiplier from 0.1 to 2.0; values
outside that range are capped, and the LLM never generates exploit code. A candidate
action has base score 80 and LLM hint 3.4. Which adjusted score is used?

(a) 160.0, using capped multiplier 2.0.
(b) 272.0, using the raw hint without caps.
(c) 80.0, because LLM hints never affect prioritization.
(d) The action is converted into LLM-generated exploit code.

### Question 48

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.

A power cooperative enables the Chapter 5 LLM strategy advisor for rule-based target
prioritization. The advisor may provide a target multiplier from 0.1 to 2.0; values
outside that range are capped, and the LLM never generates exploit code. A candidate
action has base score 60 and LLM hint 0.05. Which adjusted score is used?

(a) 3.0, using the raw hint without caps.
(b) 60.0, because LLM hints never affect prioritization.
(c) The action is converted into LLM-generated exploit code.
(d) 6.0, using capped multiplier 0.1.

### Question 49

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** MITRE ATT&CK for ICS public knowledge base.

A pipeline operator enables the Chapter 5 LLM strategy advisor for rule-based target
prioritization. The advisor may provide a target multiplier from 0.1 to 2.0; values
outside that range are capped, and the LLM never generates exploit code. A candidate
action has base score 45 and LLM hint 2.0. Which adjusted score is used?

(a) 45.0, because LLM hints never affect prioritization.
(b) The action is converted into LLM-generated exploit code.
(c) 90.0, using capped multiplier 2.0.
(d) 90.0, using the raw hint without caps.

### Question 50

**Scenario provenance only (not needed to answer):** OASIS STIX 2.1 standard.

A maritime port authority enables the Chapter 5 LLM strategy advisor for rule-based
target prioritization. The advisor may provide a target multiplier from 0.1 to 2.0;
values outside that range are capped, and the LLM never generates exploit code. A
candidate action has base score 70 and LLM hint 0.4. Which adjusted score is used?

(a) The action is converted into LLM-generated exploit code.
(b) 28.0, using capped multiplier 0.4.
(c) 28.0, using the raw hint without caps.
(d) 70.0, because LLM hints never affect prioritization.
