Free Practice Questions for CertiProf CEHPC Exam

SQL Injection (SQLi) is one of the most prevalent and damaging information security threats targeting web applications. Its main purpose is to exploit a database by manipulating Structured Query Language (SQL) commands through user-supplied input. This occurs when an application fails to properly filter or "sanitize" data entered into forms, URL parameters, or cookies, allowing an attacker to "inject" their own SQL code into the query that the application sends to the back-end database.

When successful, a SQL injection attack can have catastrophic consequences for an organization's data integrity and confidentiality. An attacker can bypass authentication to log in as an administrator without a password, view sensitive user data, modify or delete database records, and in some cases, gain administrative control over the entire database server. A classic example is the ' OR 1=1 -- injection, which forces a query to return "true" regardless of the credentials provided, effectively opening the door to the system.

Managing the threat of SQLi is a top priority for web security. The most effective defense is the use of "Parameterized Queries" (also known as prepared statements), which ensure that the database treats user input as data rather than executable code. Additionally, implementing "Input Validation" and the "Principle of Least Privilege" for database accounts helps mitigate the potential damage. From an ethical hacking standpoint, identifying SQLi vulnerabilities is a core component of vulnerability scanning and manual testing. Because databases often hold an organization's most valuable assets—including customer identities and financial records—protecting them from injection attacks is a non-negotiable aspect of modern information security management.

A common misconception in cybersecurity is that every single computer system is inherently vulnerable to a breach at any given moment. However, from an ethical hacking and defensive standpoint, a computer is only "hackable" if it presents an exploitable vulnerability. A system that is fully patched, correctly configured, and isolated from unnecessary network exposure is significantly harder to compromise, often to the point where an attack is no longer viable for a standard threat actor.

Vulnerabilities typically arise from three main areas: unpatched software, misconfigurations, and human error. Security patches are updates issued by vendors to fix known vulnerabilities in the operating system or applications. If an administrator applies these patches promptly, they close the "windows of opportunity" that hackers use to gain entry. Furthermore, "exposed ports" refer to network entry points that are left open and listening for connections. A secure system follows the principle of "Least Functionality," meaning only essential ports and services are active, thereby reducing the "attack surface."

The statement that all computers are hackable "without any complications" is incorrect because security is a layered discipline. While a persistent and highly funded state-sponsored actor might eventually find a "Zero-Day" vulnerability (a flaw unknown to the vendor), the vast majority of systems remain secure as long as they adhere to rigorous maintenance schedules. Defensive strategies focus on "Hardening," which involves removing unnecessary software, disabling unused services, and implementing strong authentication. Therefore, a computer that is meticulously updated and shielded by firewalls and intrusion prevention systems does not provide the necessary "foothold" for an attacker to exploit, effectively making it unhackable through known standard vectors. This highlights the importance of proactive management in mitigating attack vectors rather than assuming inevitable defeat.

The term "hacker" is frequently misrepresented in popular media as being synonymous with "criminal." In the professional cybersecurity landscape, however, hacking is a skill set that can be applied for both malicious and constructive purposes. Ethical hackers, often referred to as "White Hat" hackers, use the same tools, techniques, and mindsets as malicious actors ("Black Hats"), but they do so with legal authorization and the intent to improve security. Their primary responsibility is to analyze systems, identify potential vulnerabilities, and report them to the stakeholders so they can be patched before a criminal can exploit them.

Ethical hacking is a structured discipline that follows specific phases: reconnaissance, scanning, gaining access, maintaining access, and clearing tracks—though the "clearing tracks" phase in an ethical context usually involves restoring the system to its original state and documenting the process. These professionals operate under a strict "Code of Ethics," ensuring they do no harm and maintain the confidentiality of the data they encounter. Many organizations employ ethical hackers through internal security teams or external penetration testing firms to conduct "Red Team" exercises, which simulate real-world attacks to test the organization's defensive capabilities.

Furthermore, the existence of "Bug Bounty" programs—where companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook pay independent researchers to find and report bugs—demonstrates that hacking is a recognized and valued profession. By reporting vulnerabilities instead of exploiting them for personal gain, ethical hackers play a vital role in the global digital economy. They help protect critical infrastructure, financial systems, and personal data. Therefore, while some hackers do engage in illegal activities, a significant portion of the hacking community is dedicated to the defensive side of cybersecurity, proving that the act of hacking itself is neutral; it is the intent and authorization that define its legality.

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a specialized information security control designed to protect web applications by filtering, monitoring, and blocking HTTP/HTTPS traffic to and from a web service. Unlike a traditional network firewall that filters traffic based on IP addresses and ports, a WAF operates at the Application Layer (Layer 7 of the OSI model). It inspects the actual content of the web traffic to identify and neutralize sophisticated application-level attacks such as SQL Injection (SQLi), Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and File Inclusion.

A WAF acts as a "reverse proxy," sitting in front of the web application server and acting as an intermediary. It uses a set of rules (often based on the OWASP Top 10) to determine which traffic is legitimate and which is malicious. For example, if a user submits a search query containing suspicious SQL commands, the WAF will recognize the pattern and drop the request before it ever reaches the database, thereby protecting the server from compromise.

In the context of ethical hacking, a WAF is a formidable defense that testers must learn to navigate. During a penetration test, a WAF may block automated scanning tools, forcing the tester to use manual, stealthy techniques to identify vulnerabilities. For organizations, implementing a WAF is a critical "defense-in-depth" strategy. Even if a web application has an underlying code vulnerability, the WAF can provide a "virtual patch" by blocking the exploit attempt at the network edge. This allows developers time to fix the code without leaving the application exposed. Mastering WAF configuration and bypass techniques is essential for security professionals who aim to protect modern, web-centric business environments.

Penetration testing, or "pentesting," is a vital component of a robust information security strategy for any modern organization. It serves as a proactive security measure designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a company's defenses by simulating a real-world cyber-attack. The primary objective is to identify vulnerabilities before malicious actors can find and exploit them, thereby protecting sensitive corporate and customer information.

Regular pentesting provides several critical benefits:

Risk Identification: It uncovers hidden flaws in software, misconfigured hardware, and weak security protocols that automated scanners might miss.

Compliance and Regulation: Many industries (such as healthcare and finance) are legally required by frameworks like HIPAA or PCI DSS to conduct regular security assessments to ensure data privacy.

Testing Defense Capabilities: It allows the organization’s "Blue Team" (defenders) to practice their incident response and detection capabilities against a controlled "Red Team" (attackers) threat.

Cost Avoidance: Discovering a vulnerability through a pentest is significantly cheaper than dealing with the aftermath of a genuine data breach, which involves legal fees, loss of customer trust, and potential regulatory fines.

In a digital landscape where threats are constantly evolving, pentesting provides a "snapshot" of an organization's security posture at a specific point in time. By adopting the mindset of an attacker, companies can gain actionable insights into how to harden their perimeters and internal networks. This continuous cycle of testing and remediation is essential for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data in an increasingly hostile online environment.

From a cybersecurity and ethical hacking perspective, the most accurate answer isoption C: yes, all computers are hackable. This does not mean that all systems are easily compromised, but rather thatno system is 100% secureunder all circumstances.

Security is a matter of risk management, not absolute prevention. Even fully patched systems with strong security controls may be vulnerable to zero-day exploits, misconfigurations, supply-chain attacks, physical access threats, or human factors such as social engineering. Ethical hackers assess these risks to determine how systems could be compromised under realistic threat scenarios.

Option A is incorrect because even updated systems with minimal exposure can still be attacked through advanced techniques. Option B is incorrect because hacking is not always easy or without complications; strong defenses significantly increase the difficulty.

Understanding this concept is critical in modern security strategy. Ethical hacking promotesdefense in depth, continuous monitoring, regular testing, and user awareness rather than reliance on a single control.

Acknowledging that all systems are potentially hackable encourages proactive security practices, timely patching, strong authentication, network segmentation, and incident response planning. Ethical hackers help organizations identify weaknesses early, reduce risk, and improve resilience against evolving cyber threats.

A security breach is acybersecurity incident in which unauthorized individuals gain access to sensitive personal or organizational data, making option A the correct answer. Security breaches can involve data theft, data exposure, system compromise, or loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability.

Breaches may occur due to malware infections, phishing attacks, weak credentials, unpatched vulnerabilities, insider threats, or misconfigured systems. Ethical hackers analyze breach scenarios to understand how attackers bypass defenses and what impact the breach can have on business operations.

Option B is incorrect because hacking the entire internet is unrealistic and not a valid definition. Option C is incorrect because internet outages are infrastructure issues, not necessarily security breaches.

From a defensive standpoint, understanding security breaches helps organizations improve detection, response, and recovery capabilities. Ethical hackers help simulate breach scenarios to identify gaps in monitoring and incident response plans.

Preventing breaches requires layered security controls, user awareness, continuous monitoring, and regular testing. Ethical hacking plays a critical role in reducing breach likelihood and impact.

SSH (Secure Shell) is anetwork security protocolspecifically designed to provide secure remote access to systems, making option A the correct answer. SSH authenticates users and encrypts all communications between the client and server, protecting credentials and session data from interception.

SSH is widely used by system administrators and ethical hackers for secure remote login, command execution, and file transfers. It replaces insecure protocols such as Telnet, which transmit data in plain text. SSH supports multiple authentication mechanisms, including passwords, public-key authentication, and multi-factor authentication.

Option B, FTP, is incorrect because it transmits credentials and data in plain text and does not provide secure authentication by default. Option C, SSL, is incorrect in this context because SSL is a cryptographic protocol used to secure data in transit but is not specifically designed for remote system access and authorization.

From an ethical hacking perspective, understanding SSH is essential for both attacking and defending systems. Misconfigured SSH services can lead to brute-force attacks or unauthorized access, while properly secured SSH greatly enhances system security.

SSH plays a critical role in secure network administration and is a foundational component of modern information security controls.

Vulnerability scanning is a fundamental, automated cybersecurity practice designed to systematically identify and evaluate security weaknesses within an organization’s IT infrastructure. Unlike penetration testing, which actively attempts to exploit flaws to gauge the depth of a potential breach, vulnerability scanning is generally a non-intrusive "reconnaissance-level" check. It uses specialized software tools—vulnerability scanners—to probe network devices, servers, and applications to compare discovered services against databases of known security flaws (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, or CVEs).

The process typically unfolds in several stages:

System Discovery: Identifying all physical and virtual assets on the network, such as routers, physical hosts, and cloud endpoints.

Vulnerability Detection: Probing open ports and services using techniques like "banner grabbing" or "fingerprinting" to identify software versions and configurations.

Prioritization and Reporting: Assigning severity scores (often using the CVSS framework) to identified flaws based on factors like ease of exploitation and potential impact.

Vulnerability scans are essential for maintaining a strong security posture because they can be run continuously and automatically at a lower cost than manual testing. They help organizations stay ahead of "zero-day" and emerging threats by flagging missing patches, weak passwords, and insecure default configurations. While highly effective at identifying broad classes of vulnerabilities—such as SQL injection or outdated encryption—scanners can produce "false positives," requiring security teams to validate findings before proceeding with remediation. Ultimately, vulnerability scanning serves as the critical first step in a broader vulnerability management lifecycle.

CVE stands forCommon Vulnerabilities and Exposures, making option C the correct answer. CVE is a standardized system used to identify, name, and catalog publicly disclosed cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Each CVE entry is assigned a unique identifier, allowing security professionals worldwide to reference the same vulnerability consistently. Ethical hackers, system administrators, and security vendors rely on CVEs to track vulnerabilities, assess risk, and prioritize patching efforts.

Option A is incorrect because CVEs catalog vulnerabilities, not secure systems. Option B is incorrect because CVE is not a publication or magazine.

From an ethical hacking perspective, CVEs play a crucial role in vulnerability management and penetration testing. Ethical hackers reference CVEs to understand exploitability, identify affected systems, and demonstrate risk using documented evidence.

Understanding CVEs supports effective communication between security teams, vendors, and management. They are foundational to modern vulnerability scanning, patch management, and threat intelligence programs.