Free Practice Questions for CertiProf CEHPC Exam

A public IP address is aninternet-routable address assigned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), making option B the correct answer. Public IPs uniquely identify a device or network on the global internet and allow communication with external systems.

Option A is incorrect because public IPs are unique, not shared by everyone. Option C is incorrect because IP addresses assigned by a modem or router to internal devices are private IP addresses, typically managed using Network Address Translation (NAT).

From an ethical hacking perspective, public IP addresses are significant because they representexternally exposed attack surfaces. Services accessible via public IPs may be scanned, targeted, or attacked if not properly secured.

Understanding the difference between public and private IP addressing helps ethical hackers assess network exposure, firewall configurations, and access control policies. Defenders can reduce risk by limiting services exposed on public IPs and enforcing strong security controls.

Public IP management is a core information security concept, influencing perimeter security, network design, and threat modeling in modern environments.

Metasploit is a widely used penetration testing framework designed to develop, test, and execute exploit code against target systems. It is primarily used by cybersecurity experts, including ethical hackers, penetration testers, red team members, and security researchers. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

In the context of ethical hacking, Metasploit is most commonly used during the exploitation and post-exploitation phases of penetration testing. After reconnaissance and vulnerability scanning identify potential weaknesses, Metasploit allows security professionals to safely verify whether those vulnerabilities can be exploited in real-world scenarios. This helps organizations understand the actual risk level of discovered flaws rather than relying solely on theoretical vulnerability reports.

Metasploit provides a vast library of exploits, payloads, auxiliary modules, and post-exploitation tools. Ethical hackers use these modules in controlled environments and with proper authorization to test system defenses, validate security controls, and demonstrate attack paths to stakeholders. It is not designed for non-technical professions such as agriculture or food engineering, making options A and B incorrect.

From an ethical standpoint, Metasploit supports defensive security objectives by enabling organizations to identify weaknesses before malicious attackers do. It is frequently used in security assessments, red team exercises, and cybersecurity training programs. When used legally and responsibly, Metasploit helps improve system hardening, incident response readiness, and overall organizational security posture.

A remote exploit is a sophisticated attack vector where a threat actor manipulates a vulnerability in a system over a network—typically the internet—without having prior physical or local access to the target machine. This type of exploit is highly dangerous because the attacker can be located anywhere in the world, making it difficult to trace or physically stop. Remote exploits usually target services that are "listening" for incoming connections, such as web servers (HTTP/HTTPS), database servers (SQL), or remote desktop protocols (RDP).

The mechanism of a remote exploit often involves sending specially crafted data packets to a service to trigger a specific flaw, such as a buffer overflow or an injection vulnerability. If successful, the exploit can allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the same privileges as the service being attacked. This is often the first step in a larger attack chain, where the remote exploit provides the "initial access" needed to drop malware or pivot further into the internal network.

To manage and mitigate the risks associated with remote exploits, organizations must focus on "Attack Surface Reduction." This involves closing unnecessary ports, implementing robust firewalls, and using Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to flag suspicious network traffic. Patch management is the most effective defense, as most remote exploits target known vulnerabilities that have available security updates. Ethical hackers use remote exploits during penetration tests to demonstrate the exposure of an organization's perimeter. By identifying these external-facing weaknesses, they help the organization prioritize defenses on the services most likely to be targeted by global threat actors.

SQL Injection (SQLi) is a critical web security vulnerability that allows an attacker to interfere with the queries that an application makes to its database. It occurs when an application fails to properly sanitize or validate user input before including it in a Structured Query Language (SQL) command. By injecting malicious SQL code into an input field—such as a login form or a search bar—an attacker can trick the database into executing unintended commands.

The impact of a successful SQL injection attack can be devastating:

Data Theft: Attackers can bypass authentication to view sensitive information they are not authorized to see, such as user passwords, personal data, or credit card details.

Data Manipulation: An attacker can modify or delete data within the database, potentially leading to permanent data loss or the corruption of business records.

Identity Theft: By gaining access to user tables, attackers can take over administrative accounts.

Full System Compromise: In some configurations, SQLi can be used to gain access to the underlying server's operating system.

Ethical hackers test for SQLi by entering special characters (like ' or --) into input fields to see if the application returns a database error. Mitigation involves usingPrepared Statements(parameterized queries), which treat user input as data rather than executable code, and implementing strict input validation. Despite being one of the oldest web vulnerabilities, SQLi remains a top threat on the OWASP Top 10 list due to the prevalence of legacy code and poor coding practices.

Masquerading is an attack technique in which an attackerimpersonates a legitimate user, device, or systemto gain unauthorized access, making option C the correct answer. This can involve stolen credentials, forged identities, or spoofed system information.

Masquerading attacks are commonly associated with credential theft, session hijacking, and privilege abuse. Ethical hackers test for masquerading risks by assessing authentication mechanisms, access controls, and identity management systems.

Option A is incorrect because masking traffic alone does not define masquerading. Option B is incorrect because masquerading is not a legitimate authentication method.

Understanding masquerading is essential for mitigating identity-based attacks. Defenses include strong authentication, multi-factor authentication, logging, and anomaly detection.

Ethical hackers help organizations identify weaknesses that allow masquerading and implement controls to prevent impersonation-based attacks.

Here are the 100% verified answers for the first batch of questions, aligned with the provided documentation and standard ethical hacking principles.

Active recognition, also known as "Active Reconnaissance," is a critical phase of penetration testing where the tester gathers detailed information by directly interacting with the target system or network. Unlike "Passive Reconnaissance," which involves collecting publicly available information from search engines (like Google Dorking) or social media without the target's knowledge, active recognition involves sending data packets to the target's infrastructure to elicit a response.

Common activities during the active recognition phase include port scanning, service version detection, and vulnerability scanning. For example, using a tool like Nmap to scan a server's open ports is a form of active recognition. The scanner sends "probes" to the server, and based on the server's reply (or lack thereof), the tester can determine which services are running (e.g., a web server on port 80 or a database on port 3306). This phase is essential because it provides the technical "blueprint" of the target that the tester will use to plan an exploit.

However, active recognition carries a significant risk: it is much more likely to be detected by security systems like Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) or firewalls. Because the tester is directly "knocking on the doors" of the target, their IP address and activity may be logged. In a professional pentest, the degree of "stealth" used during active recognition is a key consideration. Testers may slow down their scans or use techniques to blend in with normal network traffic to avoid detection. For the organization, being able to detect active reconnaissance is a vital part of threat management, as it often serves as the "early warning sign" that a more sophisticated attack is being prepared. Mastering this phase allows a pentester to efficiently map the attack surface while understanding the operational limits of the target's defensive controls.

Practicing with VulnHub machines isnot illegalwhen done correctly, making option B the correct answer. VulnHub provides intentionally vulnerable virtual machines designed specifically forlegal and ethical penetration testing practicein controlled environments.

These machines are downloaded and run locally using virtualization software, ensuring that no external organizations or real-world systems are affected. Users are explicitly authorized to test and exploit these systems for educational purposes, making them ideal for learning ethical hacking techniques safely.

Option A is incorrect because authorization is explicitly granted by the creators of VulnHub machines. Option C is incorrect because these machines do contain real vulnerabilities, which is the purpose of the platform.

From an ethical hacking standpoint, practicing in legal environments is essential for skill development without violating laws or ethical standards. VulnHub labs help learners understand reconnaissance, exploitation, privilege escalation, and post-exploitation techniques in a risk-free setting.

Using authorized platforms reinforces responsible hacking behavior, legal compliance, and professional standards. Ethical hackers must always ensure they have explicit permission before testing any system, and VulnHub provides exactly that framework.

A reverse shell is a fundamental technique used during the "Gaining Access" and "Maintaining Access" phases of a penetration test. In a standard (bind) shell, the attacker connects to a specific port on the victim's machine to gain command-line access. However, most modern firewalls block incoming connections to unauthorized ports. To bypass this, a reverse shell reverses the connection logic: the victim's machine is tricked into initiating anoutgoingconnection to the attacker's machine, which is "listening" for the call.

This technique is highly effective because firewalls are typically much more permissive with "egress" (outgoing) traffic than with "ingress" (incoming) traffic. For example, an attacker might host a listener on port 443 (HTTPS). Since most organizations allow internal machines to browse the web over port 443, the firewall perceives the reverse shell connection as standard web traffic and allows it to pass. Once the connection is established, the attacker has a terminal interface on the victim's machine, allowing them to execute commands remotely.

In professional pentesting, establishing a reverse shell is often the primary goal of an exploit. It provides the "foothold" needed for lateral movement and privilege escalation. Common tools used to create reverse shells include Netcat (nc), Bash, and Python scripts. To defend against this, organizations must implement "Egress Filtering," which restricts outgoing traffic to only known, necessary destinations. Security professionals also monitor for "long-lived" connections to unusual IP addresses, as these can be a tell-tale sign of an active reverse shell. Understanding how these connections manipulate network policy is crucial for any ethical hacker seeking to demonstrate how internal systems can be compromised despite robust perimeter defenses.

A White Hat hacker is atrusted cybersecurity professionalwho uses hacking skills ethically and legally to improve system security, making option A the correct answer. White Hat hackers operate with explicit authorization from system owners and follow strict legal and professional guidelines.

White Hats perform tasks such as vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, code reviews, and security audits. Their objective is not to cause harm but to identify weaknesses before malicious attackers exploit them. Their work directly contributes to risk reduction, regulatory compliance, and improved organizational resilience.

Option B is incorrect because creating and exploiting vulnerabilities without authorization is unethical and illegal. Option C describes a Black Hat hacker, whose actions are driven by financial gain and disregard for damage caused.

Understanding hacker classifications is essential in ethical hacking education. White Hats represent the defensive and professional side of hacking, often working as security consultants, internal security teams, or researchers.

White Hat hacking promotes responsible disclosure, secure development practices, and continuous improvement of security controls. Their role is fundamental to modern cybersecurity defense strategies.

In the context of a controlled educational environment or a specific laboratory setup for penetration testing, many tools and methods are initially configured to operate within a "Local Area Network" (LAN). This is done to ensure safety, prevent accidental damage to external systems, and simplify the learning of core concepts like DNS spoofing or credential harvesting. Therefore, when a specific course method is described as working only in a "local environment," it means the attack is designed to intercept or redirect traffic within the same broadcast domain or through a local gateway controlled by the student.

In a local environment phishing scenario, an attacker might use tools like Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET) to host a fake login page on their own machine. For a victim to reach this page from "outside" (the internet), the attacker would need to implement additional complex networking configurations. This would include "Port Forwarding" on a router, using a "Static IP," or setting up a "Reverse Proxy" with a registered domain name. Without these external configurations, the phishing site is only reachable by other devices connected to the same local Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.

Understanding the limitations of a "local-only" method is a critical phase of pentesting. It teaches the practitioner about the boundaries of different network layers. While professional hackers obviously perform phishing globally, the "learned method" in many introductory courses serves as a fundamental building block. It focuses on the mechanics of the deception—how a fake page looks and how it captures data—before moving on to the complexities of wide-area network (WAN) exploitation. For a penetration tester, recognizing that an exploit is limited to the local environment is important for defining the "Scope of Work." It ensures that testing remains contained and that the tester understands exactly how a threat would need to pivot to reach an external audience.