Ethical Hacking Network Penetration Testing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Metasploit command is used to search for available exploit modules?
- use
- search (Correct answer)
- find
- scan
Correct answer: search
The 'search' command in Metasploit queries its database of exploit modules, payloads, and auxiliary modules by keyword or CVE.
Question 2: What is 'pivoting' in the context of network penetration testing?
- Escalating privileges on a single host
- Using a compromised host to attack other internal systems (Correct answer)
- Covering tracks after exploitation
- Enumerating open ports
Correct answer: Using a compromised host to attack other internal systems
Pivoting uses a compromised machine as a relay point to reach and attack other systems in a network that are not directly accessible from the attacker's machine.
Question 3: Which protocol is exploited by the 'Pass the Hash' attack technique?
- SSH
- FTP
- NTLM (Correct answer)
- HTTPS
Correct answer: NTLM
Pass the Hash exploits NTLM authentication by using captured password hashes directly to authenticate without knowing the plaintext password.
Question 4: What does TTL (Time to Live) value in a ping response help a penetration tester determine?
- Network latency
- Operating system type (Correct answer)
- Firewall rules
- Open ports
Correct answer: Operating system type
Different operating systems use different default TTL values (e.g., Windows=128, Linux=64), allowing testers to fingerprint the OS from ping responses.
Question 5: Which technique involves sending malformed packets to crash or reveal information about a target system?
- Fuzzing (Correct answer)
- Sniffing
- Enumeration
- Pivoting
Correct answer: Fuzzing
Fuzzing sends unexpected, malformed, or random data to a system to discover vulnerabilities, crashes, or unexpected behaviors in software.
Question 6: What is the role of a 'C2' (Command and Control) server in a penetration test simulation?
- Store cracked passwords
- Receive connections from compromised hosts and issue commands (Correct answer)
- Scan for open ports
- Generate phishing emails
Correct answer: Receive connections from compromised hosts and issue commands
A C2 server receives beacons from compromised systems and allows the attacker to issue commands, exfiltrate data, and maintain persistence during an engagement.
Ethical Hacking Network Penetration Testing 2
Which Metasploit command is used to search for available exploit modules?