CEH Footprinting, Reconnaissance and Scanning Practice Question
This CEH practice question tests your understanding of footprinting, reconnaissance and 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.
Which TWO of the following are passive reconnaissance techniques? (Select 2)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Performing a WHOIS lookup
A WHOIS lookup queries public databases (e.g., whois.arin.net) to retrieve registration details for domains or IP blocks, such as registrar, creation date, and administrative contacts. This is passive because it relies on publicly available information without sending any packets directly to the target system. The CEH defines passive reconnaissance as gathering data without interacting with the target's network or services.
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.
✓
Performing a WHOIS lookup
Why this is correct
WHOIS queries public registration databases without sending traffic to the target's infrastructure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Banner grabbing with Netcat
Why it's wrong here
Banner grabbing connects to the target's open port to retrieve a banner, which is active.
✗
Running a TCP SYN scan with Nmap
Why it's wrong here
Nmap sends packets to the target, making it an active scan.
✓
Using Shodan to search for exposed devices
Why this is correct
Shodan indexes banner information from previous scans; querying it does not involve direct interaction with the target.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Performing a ping sweep
Why it's wrong here
Ping sweep sends ICMP packets to hosts, actively probing for responses.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
EC-Council often tests the distinction between passive and active reconnaissance by including banner grabbing (which is active because it requires a direct connection) as a distractor, leading candidates to mistakenly classify it as passive since it only reads server responses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Passive reconnaissance techniques like WHOIS and Shodan leverage third-party data sources: WHOIS relies on RIR databases (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC) governed by RFC 3912, while Shodan crawls the internet by sending its own probes and storing banners, so querying Shodan does not touch the target. A subtle behavior: WHOIS responses can include private registration data, but the query itself is logged by the WHOIS server, not the target organization. Shodan's data may be hours or days old, but the query is still passive from the attacker's perspective.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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
A practitioner preparing for the CEH exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CEH question in full detail.
Footprinting, Reconnaissance and Scanning — This question tests Footprinting, Reconnaissance and Scanning — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Performing a WHOIS lookup — A WHOIS lookup queries public databases (e.g., whois.arin.net) to retrieve registration details for domains or IP blocks, such as registrar, creation date, and administrative contacts. This is passive because it relies on publicly available information without sending any packets directly to the target system. The CEH defines passive reconnaissance as gathering data without interacting with the target's network or services.
What should I do if I get this CEH question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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