CPENT Practice Question: Privilege Escalation Lateral Movement And Post Exploitation
A penetration tester has compromised a Linux server and wants to exfiltrate a compressed data archive over the network securely using encrypted protocols. Which THREE standard network tools support encrypted file transfer out of the box? 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
✓
scp
scp, sftp, and curl (using HTTPS) or rsync over ssh provide encrypted file transfers. Standard nc and ftp are unencrypted.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
scp
Why this is correct
scp uses SSH to securely copy files between hosts.
- ✓
curl (using HTTPS)
Why this is correct
curl over HTTPS encrypts data transmissions using TLS.
- ✓
sftp
Why this is correct
sftp provides file transfer capabilities over an SSH encrypted channel.
- ✗
nc (Netcat)
Why it's wrong here
Netcat transfers raw TCP/UDP streams without encryption.
- ✗
ftp
Why it's wrong here
Standard FTP transmits credentials and data in cleartext.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CPENT question from scratch — 276 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 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.