A penetration tester performs a vulnerability scan on a company’s web server and identifies several...

CEH v13 emphasizes that after identifying vulnerabilities during scanning, testers must validate findings to determine real impact and eliminate false positives. This requires safe, controlled exploitation using approved tools such as Metasploit, Nikto, or custom proof-of-concept scripts. Misconfigurations labeled as medium-risk may still provide privilege escalation, data exposure, or footholds for further attacks. CEH methodology reinforces that exploitation should always follow the scope and rules of engagement and should avoid disruptive activities like brute-forcing or DoS attacks unless explicitly authorized. Ignoring the vulnerabilities is never acceptable in a professional assessment. Verifying the issue helps the organization prioritize remediation using evidence-based results. Therefore, the correct next step is to verify the vulnerability through controlled exploitation.