Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A penetration tester is performing passive reconnaissance on a target organization. The tester wants to identify internal IP address ranges used by the organization without interacting directly with their network. Which of the following techniques would be most effective for this purpose?
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
Querying public BGP route databases and looking up the organization's autonomous system (AS) number
BGP databases contain announced IP prefixes for AS numbers. By finding the target's ASN, the tester can see all public IP ranges associated with the organization.
B
Distractor review
Performing a DNS zone transfer against the target's authoritative DNS servers
DNS zone transfers are active reconnaissance and are usually disabled on public DNS servers. Even if successful, they reveal hostnames and IPs, but not necessarily internal ranges.
C
Distractor review
Using Shodan to search for devices from the target organization
Shodan indexes internet-facing devices; internal ranges are typically not shown. This technique is useful for external exposure but not for enumerating internal IP ranges.
D
Distractor review
Sending ARP requests on the local network segment to discover hosts
ARP scanning is an active technique that requires being on the internal network. It is not passive reconnaissance.
Common exam trap
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.
Technical deep dive
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.
Related practice questions
Related PT0-002 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Querying public BGP route databases and looking up the organization's autonomous system (AS) number — Network operators often publish prefix information (which includes IP blocks) via BGP to internet exchanges and routing registries. By querying public BGP data (e.g., using tools like 'bgp.he.net' or 'Whois' for AS numbers), a tester can discover IP ranges owned by the organization. This is a purely passive technique because it uses public routing information. DNS zone transfers are rarely allowed and would require direct interaction with the target's DNS servers. Shodan is active in the sense that it scans the internet, but querying Shodan's database is passive; however, Shodan shows what's exposed, not internal ranges in detail. ARP scanning is active and internal.
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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