Free Practice Questions for ECCouncil 312-50v13 Exam

Web server footprinting is part of the reconnaissance phase in ethical hacking. It involves gathering detailed information about a web server’s structure, external links, available directories, scripts, and technologies in use.

Techniques include:

Spidering the site to map all accessible URLs and file paths

Identifying hidden directories or backup files

Analyzing page structures and URL patterns

This information helps attackers identify areas to target for further scanning or exploitation.

Incorrect Options:

A. Vulnerability scanning is active testing, not passive footprinting.

C. System-level data is gathered in OS or network footprinting.

D. Brute-force attacks are exploitation techniques, not reconnaissance.

Reference – CEH v13 Official Courseware:

Module 02: Footprinting and Reconnaissance

Section: “Web Server Footprinting Techniques”

Tool Reference: HTTrack, Burp Spider, OWASP ZAP

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Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) uses:

TCP/UDP port 389 for standard LDAP communication.

TCP/UDP port 636 for secure LDAP over SSL (LDAPS).

From CEH v13 Courseware:

Module 3: Scanning Networks → Common Ports and Protocols

Incorrect Options:

A: Port 110 = POP3

C: Port 464 = Kerberos change/set password

D: Port 445 = SMB over TCP/IP (used for file sharing)

-sA (TCP ACK scan)

This scan is different than the others discussed so far in that it never determines open (or even open|filtered) ports. It is used to map out firewall rulesets, determining whether they are stateful or not and which ports are filtered.

The ACK scan probe packet has only the ACK flag set (unless you use --scanflags). When scanning unfiltered systems, open and closed ports will both return a RST packet. Nmap then labels them as unfiltered, meaning that they are reachable by the ACK packet, but whether they are open or closed is undetermined. Ports that don't respond, or send certain ICMP error messages back (type 3, code 0, 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, or 13), are labeled filtered.

Most likely have an issue with DNS.

DNS stands for “Domain Name System.” It’s a system that lets you connect to websites by matching human-readable domain names (like example.com) with the server's unique ID where a website is stored.

Think of the DNS system as the internet’s phonebook. It lists domain names with their corresponding identifiers called IP addresses, instead of listing people’s names with their phone numbers. When a user enters a domain name like wpbeginner.com on their device, it looks up the IP address and connects them to the physical location where that website is stored.

NOTE: Often DNS lookup information will be cached locally inside the querying computer or remotely in the DNS infrastructure. There are typically 8 steps in a DNS lookup. When DNS information is cached, steps are skipped from the DNS lookup process, making it quicker. The example below outlines all 8 steps when nothing is cached.

The 8 steps in a DNS lookup:

1. A user types ‘example.com’ into a web browser, and the query travels into the Internet and is received by a DNS recursive resolver;

2. The resolver then queries a DNS root nameserver;

3. The root server then responds to the resolver with the address of a Top-Level Domain (TLD) DNS server (such as .com or .net), which stores the information for its domains. When searching for example.com, our request is pointed toward the .com TLD;

4. The resolver then requests the .com TLD;

5. The TLD server then responds with the IP address of the domain’s nameserver, example.com;

6. Lastly, the recursive resolver sends a query to the domain’s nameserver;

7. The IP address for example.com is then returned to the resolver from the nameserver;

8. The DNS resolver then responds to the web browser with the IP address of the domain requested initially;

Once the 8 steps of the DNS lookup have returned the IP address for example.com, the browser can request the web page:

9. The browser makes an HTTP request to the IP address;

10. The server at that IP returns the webpage to be rendered in the browser.

NOTE 2: DNS primarily uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) on port number 53 to serve requests. And if this port is blocked, then a problem arises already in the first step. But the ninth step is performed without problems.

A cryptographic hash function is used to ensure data integrity. It generates a fixed-length output (digest) from any size of input data. If the data is modified in any way, the resulting hash will change. This allows systems to detect data tampering, ensuring that the data remains unaltered from its original form.

Reference – CEH v13 Official Study Guide:

Module 20: Cryptography

Quote:

“Hash functions are used to ensure the integrity of a message or file by producing a unique digest that changes if the data is modified.”

Incorrect Options:

A. Authentication ensures identity, not data integrity.

B. Confidentiality is achieved via encryption, not hashing.

C. Availability pertains to system uptime and accessibility, not hashes.

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According to CEH v13 Module 08: Sniffing, the attack described is a classic example of ARP spoofing/poisoning which leads to Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) scenarios. In such attacks, a malicious actor sends forged ARP responses to associate their MAC address with the IP address of a target system, redirecting traffic through their machine.

Tool Used: BetterCAP

BetterCAP is a powerful, modular MITM framework.

It can:

Perform ARP spoofing

Intercept and manipulate HTTP/HTTPS traffic

Modify packets in real-time

Carry out credential harvesting and session hijacking

Miley's actions match the default behavior of BetterCAP during an ARP spoofing attack:

Spoof ARP to redirect traffic.

Intercept and analyze (or manipulate) traffic.

Option Clarification:

A. Gobbler: An older ARP tool, but mostly for ARP scanning, not modern MITM attacks.

B. KDerpNSpoof: Incorrect or misspelled; not a recognized CEH tool.

C. BetterCAP: Correct – used for ARP spoofing and traffic manipulation.

D. Wireshark: Passive sniffer; cannot perform ARP spoofing or MITM.

A null user is a special connection made to a Windows system without providing a username or password. In older versions of Windows (NT, 2000, XP), null sessions could be used to anonymously connect to IPC$ share and enumerate:

Users

Groups

Shares

Policies

From CEH v13 Courseware:

Module 4: Enumeration → Null Sessions

CEH v13 Study Guide states:

“Null users are unauthenticated sessions used to access certain system resources without credentials. These are commonly used in enumeration attacks.”

Nmap provides a scripting engine (NSE) that includes a script named http-methods. This script sends OPTIONS requests to the web server to determine which HTTP methods are supported. Identifying risky methods like PUT and DELETE helps detect misconfigured or vulnerable web servers.

Example command:

nmap --script http-methods -p 80

Reference – CEH v13 Official Study Guide:

Module 11: Hacking Web Applications

Quote:

“The Nmap script http-methods helps identify enabled HTTP methods including potentially dangerous ones like PUT and DELETE.”

Incorrect Options Explained:

B. http-enum is used to enumerate directories and applications, not methods.

C. http-headers retrieves HTTP headers.

D. http-git checks for Git repositories on web servers.

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File system permissions

Processes may automatically execute specific binaries as part of their functionality or to perform other actions. If the permissions on the file system directory containing a target binary, or permissions on the binary itself, are improperly set, then the target binary may be overwritten with another binary using user-level permissions and executed by the original process. If the original process and thread are running under a higher permissions level, then the replaced binary will also execute under higher-level permissions, which could include SYSTEM.

Adversaries may use this technique to replace legitimate binaries with malicious ones as a means of executing code at a higher permissions level. If the executing process is set to run at a specific time or during a certain event (e.g., system bootup) then this technique can also be used for persistence.

A stealth virus may be a sort of virus malware that contains sophisticated means of avoiding detection by antivirus software. After it manages to urge into the now-infected machine a stealth viruses hides itself by continually renaming and moving itself round the disc.

Like other viruses, a stealth virus can take hold of the many parts of one’s PC. When taking control of the PC and performing tasks, antivirus programs can detect it, but a stealth virus sees that coming and can rename then copy itself to a special drive or area on the disc, before the antivirus software. Once moved and renamed a stealth virus will usually replace the detected ‘infected’ file with a clean file that doesn’t trigger anti-virus detection. It’s a never-ending game of cat and mouse.

The intelligent architecture of this sort of virus about guarantees it’s impossible to completely rid oneself of it once infected. One would need to completely wipe the pc and rebuild it from scratch to completely eradicate the presence of a stealth virus. Using regularly-updated antivirus software can reduce risk, but, as we all know, antivirus software is additionally caught in an endless cycle of finding new threats and protecting against them.

https://www.techslang.com/definition/what-is-a-stealth-virus/

The host discovery technique that the tester should use is TCP SYN Ping Scan. This technique sends a TCP SYN packet to a specified port on the target host and waits for a response. If the host responds with a TCP SYN/ACK packet, it means the host is alive and the port is open. If the host responds with a TCP RST packet, it means the host is alive but the port is closed. If the host does not respond at all, it means the host is either dead or filtered by a firewall12. TCP SYN Ping Scan can bypass firewall restrictions because it mimics the initial stage of a TCP three-way handshake, which is a common and legitimate network activity. Therefore, most firewalls will allow TCP SYN packets to pass through and reach the target host, unless they are configured to block specific ports or IP addresses3. TCP SYN Ping Scan can also accurately identify live systems because it does not rely on ICMP, which may be blocked or rate-limited by some firewalls or routers.

The other options are not as effective or feasible as TCP SYN Ping Scan for the following reasons:

A. UDP Ping Scan: This technique sends a UDP packet to a specified port on the target host and waits for a response. If the host responds with an ICMP Port Unreachable message, it means the host is alive but the port is closed. If the host does not respond at all, it means the host is either dead, the port is open, or the packet is filtered by a firewall12. UDP Ping Scan may not bypass firewall restrictions because some firewalls may block or drop UDP packets, especially if they are sent to uncommon or reserved ports. UDP Ping Scan may also not accurately identify live systems because it cannot distinguish between open ports and filtered packets, and it may generate false positives or negatives due to packet loss or rate-limiting.

B. ICMP ECHO Ping Scan: This technique sends an ICMP ECHO Request packet to the target host and waits for an ICMP ECHO Reply packet. If the host responds with an ICMP ECHO Reply packet, it means the host is alive. If the host does not respond at all, it means the host is either dead or filtered by a firewall12. ICMP ECHO Ping Scan may not bypass firewall restrictions because some firewalls may block or drop ICMP packets, especially if they are sent to prevent ping sweeps or denial-of-service attacks. ICMP ECHO Ping Scan may also not accurately identify live systems because it may generate false positives or negatives due to packet loss or rate-limiting.

C. ICMP Timestamp Ping Scan: This technique sends an ICMP Timestamp Request packet to the target host and waits for an ICMP Timestamp Reply packet. If the host responds with an ICMP Timestamp Reply packet, it means the host is alive. If the host does not respond at all, it means the host is either dead or filtered by a firewall12. ICMP Timestamp Ping Scan may not bypass firewall restrictions because some firewalls may block or drop ICMP packets, especially if they are sent to prevent ping sweeps or denial-of-service attacks. ICMP Timestamp Ping Scan may also not accurately identify live systems because it may generate false positives or negatives due to packet loss or rate-limiting.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Social engineering is a psychological manipulation technique used by attackers to trick individuals into divulging confidential or personal information that may be used for fraudulent purposes.

It relies on human interaction and may involve tactics such as:

Impersonation

Pretexting

Phishing

Baiting

Rather than attacking systems directly, attackers exploit human trust and error.

From CEH v13 Courseware:

Module 7: Social Engineering

The base metric represents the inherent qualities of a vulnerability, according to the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). CVSS is a framework that numerically characterizes the severity of software vulnerabilities between the range of 0-10. CVSS consists of three metric groups: Base, Temporal, and Environmental. The base metric group captures the characteristics of a vulnerability that are constant over time and across user environments. The base metric group consists of six sub-metrics: Attack Vector, Attack Complexity, Privileges Required, User Interaction, Scope, and Impact. The impact sub-metric further consists of three sub-metrics: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. The base metric group produces a score ranging from 0 to 10, which reflects the intrinsic and fundamental properties of a vulnerability12.

The other options are not correct for the following reasons:

A. Temporal metric represents the inherent qualities of a vulnerability: This option is incorrect because the temporal metric group captures the characteristics of a vulnerability that change over time due to events external to the vulnerability. The temporal metric group consists of three sub-metrics: Exploit Code Maturity, Remediation Level, and Report Confidence. The temporal metric group modifies the base score to reflect the current state of the vulnerability, such as the availability of exploit code, the existence of patches or workarounds, and the degree of verification of the vulnerability report12.

C. Environmental metric involves the features that change during the lifetime of the vulnerability: This option is incorrect because the environmental metric group captures the characteristics of a vulnerability that are relevant and unique to a user’s environment. The environmental metric group consists of three sub-metrics: Modified Attack Vector, Modified Attack Complexity, and Modified Privileges Required. The environmental metric group also allows the user to assign importance values to the impact sub-metrics: Confidentiality Requirement, Integrity Requirement, and Availability Requirement. The environmental metric group modifies the base and temporal scores to reflect the impact of the vulnerability on the user’s specific environment, such as the network configuration, the security objectives, and the asset value12.

D. Temporal metric involves measuring vulnerabilities based on a specific environment or implementation: This option is incorrect because the temporal metric group does not involve measuring vulnerabilities based on a specific environment or implementation, but rather on the factors that change over time due to events external to the vulnerability. The environmental metric group, not the temporal metric group, involves measuring vulnerabilities based on a specific environment or implementation, as explained in option C.

The most effective long-term strategy to reduce the gap between black hats and white hats is through education. Training individuals in areas such as:

Risk analysis

Vulnerability identification

Defensive mechanisms and countermeasures

helps foster a deeper understanding of cybersecurity and ethical responsibilities.

From CEH v13 Official Guide:

Module 1: Introduction to Ethical Hacking

Section: Ethics and Legal Issues

Subsection: Bridging the Hacker Mindset

The guide states:

“Educating individuals on proper cybersecurity techniques and the consequences of malicious hacking is critical to transforming the skillset of potential black hats into productive white hat professionals. Providing structured knowledge through training, books, and ethical hacking certifications empowers aspiring hackers to use their skills positively.”

Incorrect Options:

B: Useful for operations, but doesn’t bridge a knowledge gap.

C: Lowering certification standards can reduce industry credibility.

D: Involves a specific audience and doesn't address the broader knowledge gap.

When using exploits, you might gain access as only a local user. This limits what you can do on the target machine. You can use Meterpreters 'getsystem` command (https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-payloads/blob/master/c/meterpreter/source/extensions/priv/elevate.c#L70) to elevate your permissions from a local administrator to SYSTEM. This works by using three elevation techniques.