Free ECCouncil 312-50v13 Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 7

Before implementing auditing, it is crucial to assess how enabling this feature will impact system resources, performance, and storage. Auditing can generate significant logs and place additional load on systems, especially in environments handling sensitive data such as banking.

Understanding the impact helps determine if the current infrastructure can handle the overhead or if optimizations or upgrades are needed beforehand.

Reference – CEH v13 Official Study Guide:

Module 5: System Hacking

Section: Enabling Auditing and Logging

Quote:

“Before enabling auditing, organizations must assess the performance and storage impact. Improper implementation can result in performance degradation or missed logs.”

Incorrect Options Explained:

A. Vulnerability scanning is important but not directly related to audit implementation.

C. Cost-benefit analysis comes after understanding operational impact.

D. Staffing is a planning step, not the first technical action.

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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.

The location: operator is the least useful in providing the attacker with sensitive VPN-related information, because it does not directly relate to VPN configuration, credentials, or vulnerabilities. The location: operator finds information for a specific location, such as a city, country, or region. For example, location:paris would return results related to Paris, France. However, this operator does not help the attacker to identify or access VPN servers or clients, unless they are specifically named or indexed by their location, which is unlikely.

The other operators are more useful in providing the attacker with sensitive VPN-related information, because they can help the attacker to find pages or files that contain VPN configuration, credentials, or vulnerabilities. The intitle: operator restricts results to only the pages containing the specified term in the title. For example, intitle:vpn would return pages with VPN in their title, which may include VPN guides, manuals, or tutorials. The inurl: operator restricts the results to only the pages containing the specified word in the URL. For example, inurl:vpn would return pages with VPN in their URL, which may include VPN login portals, configuration files, or directories. The link: operator searches websites or pages that contain links to the specified website or page. For example, link:vpn.com would return pages that link to vpn.com, which may include VPN reviews, comparisons, or recommendations. References:

Google Search Operators: The Complete List (44 Advanced Operators)

Footprinting through search engines

Module 02: Footprinting and Reconnaissance

The command shown is a Windows batch loop that attempts to mount a hidden administrative share (c$) on a remote machine (\10.1.2.3) using the username "Administrator" and a list of passwords from the file hackfile.txt.

for /f "tokens=1 %%a in (hackfile.txt) → Reads one password per line from the file

do net use * \10.1.2.3\c$ /user:"Administrator" %%a → Tries to authenticate to the share using the Administrator account and each password

This is a classic brute-force password attack attempting to crack the Administrator account using a wordlist.

From CEH v13 Official Courseware:

Module 4: Enumeration

Module 6: Malware and Password Cracking Techniques

CEH v13 Study Guide states:

“Tools and scripts that automate login attempts using SMB shares and administrative credentials can be used to brute force user accounts. An attacker attempts access using a list of passwords (dictionary attack).”

Incorrect Options:

A: The connection attempt is made, but the success is dependent on password cracking.

B: This command does not enumerate users.

D: No null session involved; this is a brute-force attempt, not privilege escalation.

In CEH v13 Module 16: Cloud Computing and Container Security, Cloudborne attacks are described as threats specific to bare-metal cloud infrastructure.

Characteristics of a Cloudborne Attack:

Targets firmware-level vulnerabilities in reused physical servers.

Malware or backdoors can persist even after VM or OS reinstallation.

Can lead to compromise of new tenants or clients once servers are reallocated.

First highlighted in Project X by Eclypsium.

Option Clarification:

A. MITC: Exploits synchronization in cloud storage, not firmware.

B. Cryptojacking: Mining cryptocurrency using cloud resources.

C. Cloudborne attack: Correct — targets firmware on bare-metal cloud servers.

D. Metadata spoofing: Exploits cloud instance metadata services, unrelated to firmware.

DNS zone transfers occur when a secondary name server (slave) checks the Start of Authority (SOA) record from the primary server. The serial number in the SOA indicates the version of the zone file.

If:

Primary SOA serial > Secondary SOA serial

→ Zone transfer is initiated by the secondary server to update its data.

From CEH v13:

Module 3: DNS Enumeration

Topic: Zone Transfers and SOA Logic

CEH v13 Study Guide states:

“A secondary name server periodically queries the primary name server for changes. If the serial number in the SOA record is higher on the primary, it indicates a zone update, and a zone transfer is triggered.”

Incorrect Options:

B: Reversed condition

C/D: Restarting services doesn’t necessarily trigger a transfer

E: TTL expiration affects caching, not zone transfer logic

https://www.eccouncil.org/what-is-social-engineering/

This Social Engineering scam involves an exchange of information that can benefit both the victim and the trickster. Scammers would make the prey believe that a fair exchange will be present between both sides, but in reality, only the fraudster stands to benefit, leaving the victim hanging on to nothing. An example of a Quid Pro Quo is a scammer pretending to be an IT support technician. The con artist asks for the login credentials of the company’s computer saying that the company is going to receive technical support in return. Once the victim has provided the credentials, the scammer now has control over the company’s computer and may possibly load malware or steal personal information that can be a motive to commit identity theft.

"A quid pro quo attack (aka something for something” attack) is a variant of baiting. Instead of baiting a target with the promise of a good, a quid pro quo attack promises a service or a benefit based on the execution of a specific action." https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/common-social-engineering-attacks/#:~:text=A%20quid%20pro%20quo%20attack,execution%20of%20a%20specific%20action.

A SYN flood attack is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack that exploits the TCP handshake process by sending a large number of SYN requests to the target server, without completing the connection. This consumes the connection state tables on the server, preventing it from accepting new connections. The attacker has crafted an automated botnet to simultaneously send ‘s’ SYN packets per second to the server. The server can handle ‘f’ SYN packets per second without any performance issues. If ‘s’ exceeds ‘f’, the network infrastructure begins to show signs of overload. The system’s response time increases exponentially (24k), where ‘k’ represents each additional SYN packet above the ‘f’ limit.

Considering ‘s=500’ and different ‘f’ values, the scenario that is most likely to cause the server to experience overload and significantly increased response times is the one where ‘f=420’. This is because ‘s’ is greater than ‘f’ by 80 packets per second, which means the server cannot handle the incoming traffic and will eventually run out of resources. The response time shoots up (2480 = 281,474,976,710,656 times the normal response time), indicating a system overload.

The other scenarios are less likely or less severe than the one where ‘f=420’. Option A has ‘f=510’, which is greater than ‘s’, so the system stays stable and the response time remains unaffected. Option B has ‘f=495’, which is less than ‘s’ by 5 packets per second, so the response time drastically rises (245 = 32 times the normal response time), indicating a probable system overload, but not as extreme as option D. Option C has ‘f=505’, which is less than ‘s’ by 5 packets per second, so the response time increases but not as drastically (245 = 32 times the normal response time), and the system might still function, albeit slowly. References:

SYN flood DDoS attack | Cloudflare

SYN flood - Wikipedia

What Is a SYN Flood Attack? | F5

What is a SYN flood attack and how to prevent it? | NETSCOUT

The Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) is a suite of Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) specifications for securing certain kinds of information provided by DNS for use on IP networks. DNSSEC is a set of extensions to DNS provide to DNS clients (resolvers) origin authentication of DNS data, authenticated denial of existence, and data integrity, but not availability or confidentiality. DNSSEC is necessary because the original DNS design did not include security but was designed to be a scalable distributed system. DNSSEC adds security while maintaining backward compatibility.

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Censys is a powerful Internet-wide scanning tool that allows users to:

Discover and analyze devices and services exposed to the public internet

Enumerate connected IoT devices, open ports, software versions

Provide structured and searchable reports for vulnerability analysis

According to CEH v13:

Censys continuously scans the IPv4 address space and maintains up-to-date databases of connected devices and their metadata.

Incorrect Options:

B. Wapiti is a web application vulnerability scanner.

C. NeuVector is a container security solution.

D. Lacework is a cloud workload protection platform, not focused on IoT enumeration.

Reference – CEH v13 Official Courseware:

Module 18: IoT and OT Hacking

Section: “IoT Discovery Tools”

Tool Focus: Censys, Shodan

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An untethered jailbreak is one that allows a telephone to finish a boot cycle when being pwned with none interruption to jailbreak-oriented practicality.

Untethered jailbreaks area unit the foremost sought-after of all, however they’re additionally the foremost difficult to attain due to the powerful exploits and organic process talent they need. associate unbound jailbreak is sent over a physical USB cable association to a laptop or directly on the device itself by approach of associate application-based exploit, like a web site in campaign.

Upon running associate unbound jailbreak, you’ll be able to flip your pwned telephone off and on once more while not running the jailbreak tool once more. all of your jailbreak tweaks and apps would then continue in operation with none user intervention necessary.

It’s been an extended time since IOS has gotten the unbound jailbreak treatment. the foremost recent example was the computer-based Pangu break, that supported most handsets that ran IOS nine.1. We’ve additionally witnessed associate unbound jailbreak within the kind of JailbreakMe, that allowed users to pwn their handsets directly from the mobile campaign applications programme while not a laptop.

OS fingerprinting helps attackers identify the operating system and version running on a target host. This allows them to:

Determine potential vulnerabilities

Choose appropriate exploits for the OS version and configuration

Bypass ineffective defenses

From CEH v13 Courseware:

Module 3: Scanning Networks

Topic: Active and Passive OS Fingerprinting

CEH v13 Study Guide states:

“Fingerprinting identifies the OS type/version and helps attackers choose specific exploits that apply to that system.”

Incorrect Options:

A: Software enumeration is different from OS fingerprinting.

B/C: Misleading or incorrect in this context.

Josh is preparing to send the payload (malicious file) to the target, which clearly maps to the Delivery phase of the Cyber Kill Chain.

According to CEH v13 and the Cyber Kill Chain model (developed by Lockheed Martin and used in ethical hacking methodology):

Delivery is the third phase of the kill chain.

It involves transmitting the weaponized payload to the target via phishing emails, USB drops, or malicious links.

In this case, Josh is preparing the email with a spoofed identity and malicious attachment — representing an act of delivery.

Incorrect options:

A. Exploitation occurs after delivery, when the payload is executed.

B. Weaponization is the phase where the malicious file is created (combining exploit with a backdoor or trojan).

D. Reconnaissance involves information gathering, completed earlier in the scenario.

Reference – CEH v13 Official Courseware:

Module 01: Introduction to Ethical Hacking

Section: “Cyber Kill Chain Model”

Table Reference: “Stages of a Cyber Attack”

CEH Engage Lab: “Kill Chain Simulation in Phishing Campaigns”

The hosts file on a computer maps domain names to IP addresses locally. By modifying this file, an attacker can redirect traffic destined for legitimate sites (e.g., www.MyPersonalBank.com) to malicious IP addresses (e.g., a phishing server).

The hosts file takes precedence over DNS queries, making it a simple but powerful tool for local redirection.

Windows hosts file location: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Linux/Unix hosts file location: /etc/hosts

Reference – CEH v13 Official Study Guide:

Module 6: Malware Threats

Quote:

“Attackers can redirect users to phishing or malware sites by altering the local hosts file, bypassing DNS resolution.”

Incorrect Options:

A. boot.ini is for boot configuration, not DNS resolution.

B. sudoers controls administrative privileges in Linux.

C. networks is for defining network names, not URL resolution.

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MAC flooding is a Layer 2 attack in which an attacker sends a large number of fake MAC addresses to a switch, filling up its CAM (Content Addressable Memory) table. Once the table is full:

The switch enters “fail-open” mode and broadcasts traffic to all ports

The attacker can then sniff sensitive traffic

This attack effectively turns a switch into a hub, facilitating data sniffing.

Incorrect Options:

A. Evil twin is a wireless attack using rogue access points.

B. DNS cache flooding corrupts DNS entries, unrelated to Ethernet.

D. DDoS attacks are about overwhelming systems/services, not Layer 2 memory overflows.

Reference – CEH v13 Official Courseware:

Module 11: Sniffing

Section: “Switch Port Stealing and MAC Flooding”

Subsection: “Layer 2 Attacks and CAM Table Poisoning”

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