- A
Passive reconnaissance
Why wrong: Passive reconnaissance does not involve direct interaction; it uses publicly available information.
- B
Denial of Service
Why wrong: DoS aims to disrupt service, not gather information.
- C
Social engineering
Why wrong: Social engineering manipulates people, not network scanning.
- D
Active reconnaissance
Port scanning is active because it sends probes to the target.
Question 848 of 1,000
200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of security concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A security analyst discovers that an attacker used a publicly available tool to scan a company's network for open ports and services. What type of attack is this?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Active reconnaissance
Option D is correct because using a publicly available tool to scan a company's network for open ports and services involves directly interacting with the target systems by sending probes (e.g., TCP SYN packets, UDP datagrams) and analyzing responses. This constitutes active reconnaissance, as the attacker's actions generate traffic that can be detected by intrusion detection systems (IDS) or firewall logs, unlike passive methods that only observe existing traffic.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Passive reconnaissance
Why it's wrong here
Passive reconnaissance does not involve direct interaction; it uses publicly available information.
- ✗
Denial of Service
Why it's wrong here
DoS aims to disrupt service, not gather information.
- ✗
Social engineering
Why it's wrong here
Social engineering manipulates people, not network scanning.
- ✓
Active reconnaissance
Why this is correct
Port scanning is active because it sends probes to the target.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between active and passive reconnaissance by presenting a scenario where a tool is used to 'scan' or 'probe' the network, and candidates mistakenly choose passive reconnaissance because they think 'scanning' is non-intrusive, but any direct interaction with the target (sending packets) is active.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Active reconnaissance tools like Nmap send crafted packets (e.g., TCP SYN to port 80, TCP ACK to port 443) and analyze responses (e.g., SYN-ACK indicates open, RST indicates closed) to build a service map. A subtle behavior is that some firewalls may drop unsolicited SYN packets to closed ports, causing Nmap to report them as 'filtered' rather than 'closed', which can mislead an attacker about the true state of the network. In a real-world scenario, an attacker might use a SYN scan to evade connection logging on some legacy systems, but modern IDS can detect the pattern of sequential port probes.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 200-201 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Visual reference
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-201 question test?
Security Concepts — This question tests Security Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Active reconnaissance — Option D is correct because using a publicly available tool to scan a company's network for open ports and services involves directly interacting with the target systems by sending probes (e.g., TCP SYN packets, UDP datagrams) and analyzing responses. This constitutes active reconnaissance, as the attacker's actions generate traffic that can be detected by intrusion detection systems (IDS) or firewall logs, unlike passive methods that only observe existing traffic.
What should I do if I get this 200-201 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.
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