CPENT Network And Perimeter Exploitation Practice Question
An attacker has successfully established a man-in-the-middle position on a local network segment using ARP spoofing. To ensure they capture sensitive authentication traffic, which THREE tools or utilities can capture and parse credentials passing across the wire? (Choose THREE)
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
✓
Wireshark
Wireshark, Bettercap, and Tcpdump (or Ettercap) are standard tools used for sniffing network traffic and capturing cleartext credentials.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
John the Ripper
Why it's wrong here
John the Ripper is an offline password hash cracking tool, not a packet sniffer.
- ✓
Wireshark
Why this is correct
Wireshark captures network packets and allows deep protocol dissection to locate cleartext credentials.
- ✗
Sqlmap
Why it's wrong here
Sqlmap is an automated SQL injection and database takeover tool.
- ✓
Bettercap
Why this is correct
Bettercap features built-in sniffers and parsers capable of capturing cleartext credentials on the fly.
- ✓
Tcpdump
Why this is correct
Tcpdump is a powerful command-line packet analyzer that captures traffic for offline or real-time inspection.
About these practice questions
This CPENT question is part of Courseiva's 274-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CPENT 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 CPENT exam.