CEH Web Application and Injection Attacks Practice Question
A penetration tester uses a tool to intercept and modify HTTP/HTTPS requests in real-time between the browser and the web application. Which tool is being used?
⚠ Common exam trap
CEH often tests the distinction between interception proxies (Burp, ZAP) and exploitation/scanner tools (SQLMap, Metasploit, Nmap) — candidates may pick SQLMap because it also targets web apps, but it does not intercept traffic.
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
✓
Burp Suite Proxy
Burp Suite Proxy is the industry-standard tool for intercepting, inspecting, and modifying HTTP/HTTPS traffic between a browser and a web application in real time. It acts as a man-in-the-middle proxy with a CA certificate installed in the browser to decrypt TLS, enabling request/response tampering during penetration tests.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SQLMap
Why it's wrong here
SQLMap is an open-source penetration testing tool specifically designed to automate the detection and exploitation of SQL injection flaws. While it interacts with web applications, its core functionality involves crafting and sending malicious SQL queries directly to the database via HTTP requests, not acting as a general-purpose man-in-the-middle proxy to intercept and manually modify arbitrary HTTP/S traffic in real-time. It cannot be used to arbitrarily modify requests and responses for general web application testing beyond SQL injection.
- ✓
Burp Suite Proxy
Why this is correct
Burp Suite Proxy is a core component of the Burp Suite platform, specifically engineered to sit between a web browser and a target web server. It functions as an intercepting HTTP/S proxy, allowing a penetration tester to view, modify, and replay individual requests and responses in real-time before they reach their destination. This capability is fundamental for identifying vulnerabilities by manipulating parameters, headers, and other traffic components.
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Nmap
Why it's wrong here
Nmap (Network Mapper) is a powerful utility primarily used for network discovery and security auditing. Its main purpose is to identify hosts and services on a computer network, creating a "map" of the network by sending raw packets and analyzing responses. Nmap does not possess the functionality to intercept, view, or modify HTTP/S traffic flowing between a client and a server, as it operates at a lower network layer for port scanning and service enumeration.
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Metasploit
Why it's wrong here
Metasploit Framework is a comprehensive penetration testing platform focused on developing, testing, and executing exploits against remote targets. While Metasploit includes various modules and capabilities, such as the auxiliary/server/socks4a_proxy or reverse_http handlers, these are typically used for post-exploitation tunneling or establishing command-and-control channels, not for interactive, real-time interception and modification of general HTTP/S web application traffic like an application-layer proxy. Its proxy features serve different operational objectives within the exploitation lifecycle.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CEH practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council 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 CEH exam.