Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Practice Exam

The focus of the correct answer highlights a specific category of attacks that exploit operating systems not hardened or modified from their default configurations. These attacks are often successful because default settings are sometimes less secure, making them an attractive target for attackers.

Operating systems are typically shipped with default settings that might prioritize ease of use or functionality over security. Attackers are aware of common default credentials, service configurations, and open ports that can be leveraged if a system has not been adequately secured.

By targeting these unchanged default settings, attackers can exploit well-known vulnerabilities and access sensitive information or gain control over the system. This vulnerability arises particularly from the assumption that users will change default settings for security, which, if neglected, can lead to significant risks.

The other types of attacks listed do not specifically focus on the exploitation of unchanged default operating system settings. Misconfiguration attacks generally pertain to incorrect settings made by users that may lead to vulnerabilities, while application-level attacks focus on flaws within software applications rather than the underlying operating system itself. Shrink-wrap code attacks refer to the exploitation of commercial software that is distributed in its default form, which is slightly related but does not target the operating system's default settings directly in the same way.