PT0-002 Practice Question: Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning
This PT0-002 practice question tests your understanding of information gathering and vulnerability scanning. 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 penetration tester is conducting an external assessment of a target organization and wants to gather information without sending any packets that might be logged by the target's network monitoring systems. Which TWO of the following methods are considered passive reconnaissance?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Shodan to identify exposed services
Passive reconnaissance involves collecting information from publicly available sources without directly interacting with the target's systems. WHOIS lookups and Shodan searches both rely on public databases and do not send probes to the target network. DNS queries (option D) can be logged by the target's DNS servers and are therefore active. Port scanning (option A) and phishing emails (option C) are active techniques that directly interact with the target.
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.
✗
Send spear-phishing emails to employees
Why it's wrong here
Phishing involves direct interaction with target users and is an active social engineering technique.
✗
Query the target's DNS servers using nslookup
Why it's wrong here
DNS queries are sent to the target's servers and can be logged, making them active.
✓
Use Shodan to identify exposed services
Why this is correct
Shodan crawls the internet and stores publicly available information, so queries against Shodan are passive.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Conduct WHOIS lookups on the target's domain
Why this is correct
WHOIS lookups query public databases and do not interact with the target's network, making them passive.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Perform a full port scan using Nmap
Why it's wrong here
Port scanning sends probes to target systems and is an active technique.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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
An employee at a financial services firm receives an email that appears to come from the IT helpdesk, asking them to reset their password via a link. The link leads to a convincing fake portal that harvests credentials. Security teams use phishing simulations and security-awareness training to reduce this attack vector. Questions like this test whether you can identify social engineering techniques and appropriate controls.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PT0-002 question in full detail.
Identify which PT0-002 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning — This question tests Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Shodan to identify exposed services — Passive reconnaissance involves collecting information from publicly available sources without directly interacting with the target's systems. WHOIS lookups and Shodan searches both rely on public databases and do not send probes to the target network. DNS queries (option D) can be logged by the target's DNS servers and are therefore active. Port scanning (option A) and phishing emails (option C) are active techniques that directly interact with the target.
What should I do if I get this PT0-002 question wrong?
Identify which PT0-002 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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