CAS-004 Security Operations Practice Question
A penetration tester is performing reconnaissance against a target. Which TWO of the following are examples of active reconnaissance? (Select TWO.)
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
✓
Banner grabbing
Active reconnaissance involves direct interaction with the target. Port scanning and banner grabbing are active; OSINT and WHOIS lookups are passive (no direct interaction).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Banner grabbing
Why this is correct
Banner grabbing connects to services to read banners.
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Social media profiling
Why it's wrong here
Social media profiling is passive.
- ✓
Port scanning
Why this is correct
Port scanning sends packets to the target to discover open ports.
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WHOIS lookup
Why it's wrong here
WHOIS is a passive query to public databases.
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Searching job postings for technology details
Why it's wrong here
This is passive OSINT.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAS-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CAS-005 exam.