CEH Footprinting, Reconnaissance and Scanning Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are examples of active reconnaissance? (Select 2)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'publicly available information' (passive) with 'direct interaction' (active), leading them to incorrectly select WHOIS lookups or Google dork searches as active reconnaissance.
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
✓
Conducting an Nmap SYN scan on the target network
An Nmap SYN scan sends raw SYN packets to target ports and analyzes the responses (SYN-ACK for open, RST for closed). This actively probes the target network, generating traffic that can be detected by intrusion detection systems, which is the defining characteristic of active reconnaissance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Performing a WHOIS lookup
Why it's wrong here
WHOIS queries public databases, no direct interaction with target.
- ✗
Analyzing public social media profiles for employee information
Why it's wrong here
This is passive OSINT.
- ✓
Conducting an Nmap SYN scan on the target network
Why this is correct
Nmap sends packets directly to the target, making it active.
- ✗
Running a Google dork search for sensitive files
Why it's wrong here
Google dorking uses a search engine; no direct traffic to target.
- ✓
Using netcat to retrieve a banner from a web server
Why this is correct
Netcat establishes a connection to the target service, which is active.
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Footprinting and Reconnaissance
Key term
Active reconnaissance
Active reconnaissance is the process of directly interacting with a target system or network to gather information, often through scanning and probing.
Key term
Port Scanning Techniques
Port scanning techniques are methods used to probe a computer or network to discover which network ports are open and which services are running on those ports.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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