hardMultiple Choice
PT0-002 Practice Question: A tester uses OllyDbg to step through a binary
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. ``` EAX = 0x00401234 EBX = 0x00000000 ECX = 0x00000000 ```
A tester uses OllyDbg to step through a binary. The EAX register contains 0x00401234. What does this represent?
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
✓
A memory address
The value 0x00401234 is a 32-bit hexadecimal value in the typical range of a process's virtual address space, and EAX commonly holds pointers or addresses during execution in OllyDbg. In a Windows PE binary, addresses around 0x00400000 are the default image base, so 0x00401234 likely points into the executable's code or data section. It is not a system call number, which would be a small integer index (e.g., in Linux EAX holds syscall numbers like 1 for write), nor a file handle, which is typically a small opaque integer returned by CreateFile/OpenFile, nor an ASCII character, which would be a single byte value such as 0x41 ('A').
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A system call number
Why it's wrong here
EAX holding 0x00401234 is a memory address within the binary's image, not a syscall index. Syscall numbers are small integers, and on Windows the syscall identifier sits in EAX only momentarily before the stub transfers control. This option would fit Linux shellcode analysis, where EAX carries the syscall number before an int 0x80.
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A file handle
Why it's wrong here
0x00401234 falls inside a typical executable's code section, so it denotes a memory address, not a handle. File handles are small kernel indices, and this value's high, page-aligned form is characteristic of a mapped code location.
- ✓
A memory address
Why this is correct
EAX holds 0x00401234, a 32-bit value in the typical executable image range, so it is a virtual memory address rather than an instruction opcode or immediate operand. Debuggers display register contents this way when tracing code.
- ✗
An ASCII character
Why it's wrong here
0x00401234 is a 32-bit value far exceeding a single ASCII byte, so it cannot represent one character. ASCII characters occupy the low byte, and this value's magnitude and alignment indicate a virtual address within the module's image.
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