312-85 Cyber Threats And Attack Frameworks Practice Question
You observe an adversary using a legitimate VPN tunnel to communicate with their C2 server. Under the MITRE ATT&CK framework, which technique is this?
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
✓
T1572: Protocol Tunneling
This is T1572 (Protocol Tunneling) or T1071.001 (Web Protocols), where the adversary leverages existing network protocols or channels to mask C2 traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
T1204: User Execution
Why it's wrong here
This relates to user-driven malicious actions.
- ✗
T1133: External Remote Services
Why it's wrong here
This relates to abusing remote access services like VPNs.
- ✗
T1053: Scheduled Task
Why it's wrong here
This relates to persistence via scheduling.
- ✓
T1572: Protocol Tunneling
Why this is correct
Protocol Tunneling describes using legitimate tunnels to hide traffic.
Visual reference
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 312-85 question from scratch — 195 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or 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 312-85 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 312-85 exam.