CPENT Network And Perimeter Exploitation Practice Question
A security analyst is auditing an internal network and wishes to identify all active DNS servers that allow unauthorized zone transfers (AXFR). Which tool is specifically designed to test for DNS zone transfer vulnerabilities?
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
✓
Dig
Dig or host can perform zone transfers, but Fierce or dnsrecon are specialized DNS enumeration scripts, and 'dig @ns-server domain axfr' is the direct command.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Nbtscan
Why it's wrong here
Nbtscan is used for scanning NetBIOS name servers on a local network.
- ✗
DirBuster
Why it's wrong here
DirBuster is a web directory brute-forcing tool.
- ✗
Snort
Why it's wrong here
Snort is an open-source intrusion detection system.
- ✓
Dig
Why this is correct
Dig (Domain Information Groper) can be used to query DNS servers and test for zone transfers using the AXFR query type.
About these practice questions
This CPENT question is part of Courseiva's 276-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.