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mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped

A penetration tester is analyzing a Bash script that performs network scanning. The script contains the following command: 'for ip in $(seq 1 254); do hping3 -S -p 22 -c 1 $TARGET_SUBNET.$ip 2>/dev/null | grep -q "flags=SA" && echo "$TARGET_SUBNET.$ip: open"; done'. What is the primary purpose of this script?

Question 1mediummultiple choice
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A penetration tester is analyzing a Bash script that performs network scanning. The script contains the following command: 'for ip in $(seq 1 254); do hping3 -S -p 22 -c 1 $TARGET_SUBNET.$ip 2>/dev/null | grep -q "flags=SA" && echo "$TARGET_SUBNET.$ip: open"; done'. What is the primary purpose of this script?

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Answer choices

Why each option matters

Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.

A

Best answer

Conduct a TCP SYN scan to identify hosts with port 22 open

The script sends SYN packets to port 22 and looks for SYN-ACK responses, which is the definition of a TCP SYN scan.

B

Distractor review

Perform a vulnerability assessment against SSH services

A vulnerability assessment would involve sending specific probes or payloads; this script only checks if the port is open.

C

Distractor review

Execute an ICMP ping sweep to discover live hosts

ICMP ping sweeps use ICMP echo requests, not TCP packets. This script uses TCP SYN to port 22.

D

Distractor review

Complete a full TCP three-way handshake and log successful connections

The script only sends SYN and waits for SYN-ACK; it does not send the final ACK, so it is a half-open scan, not a full connection.

Common exam trap

Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses

Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.

Technical deep dive

How to think about this question

Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
  • Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
  • Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
  • The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.

TExam Day Tips

  • Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
  • Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
  • Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.

Related practice questions

Related PT0-002 practice-question pages

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More questions from this exam

Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.

Question 1

A penetration tester is writing the executive summary for a report. The client's CEO needs to understand the business impact of a critical SQL injection vulnerability. Which of the following should the tester include?

Question 2

A penetration tester has gained a low-privileged shell on a Linux server. During enumeration, the tester discovers a binary with the SUID bit set that belongs to root and is known to have a buffer overflow vulnerability. What is the MOST effective next step to escalate privileges?

Question 3

A penetration tester is performing passive reconnaissance against a target domain. Which of the following resources can be used to gather information about the target without directly sending packets to the target's network? (Select two.) (Choose 2.)

Question 4

A penetration tester has obtained a TGT from a domain controller by cracking the krbtgt hash. Which attack can the tester now perform to gain persistent administrative access to any resource in the domain?

Question 5

A penetration tester is writing the executive summary for the final report. The CEO needs to understand the overall risk level and the business impact of the findings. Which of the following should be included in the executive summary?

Question 6

A penetration tester is writing the executive summary of a penetration test report. Which of the following elements is MOST important to include for a non-technical audience?

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PT0-002 question test?

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Conduct a TCP SYN scan to identify hosts with port 22 open — The script uses hping3 to send a TCP SYN packet (-S flag) to port 22 on each IP in a subnet. It then checks for a SYN-ACK response (flags=SA) to determine if the port is open. This is a SYN scan, which is a common stealth scan technique because it does not complete the TCP handshake. Port 22 is typically SSH. So the script is scanning a /24 subnet for hosts with SSH port open. It is not a vulnerability scanner (no payload beyond SYN), not a ping sweep (uses TCP, not ICMP), and not a full connection scan (does not send ACK to complete handshake).

What should I do if I get this PT0-002 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.

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