CPENT Network And Perimeter Exploitation Practice Question
An attacker has gained access to a Linux machine and wants to scan the local subnet for live hosts using raw sockets via ping sweep, but does not have root privileges. Which Nmap flag allows unprivileged users to perform host discovery and port scanning without raw socket access?
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
✓
--unprivileged
The --unprivileged flag tells Nmap to assume the user lacks raw socket privileges, forcing Nmap to use connect() system calls instead of raw packet generation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
-sP
Why it's wrong here
-sP is an alias for ping scan which still requires host discovery mechanisms.
- ✗
--privileged
Why it's wrong here
--privileged assumes the user has total root/administrator permissions.
- ✗
-Pn
Why it's wrong here
-Pn skips host discovery entirely and treats all hosts as online.
- ✓
--unprivileged
Why this is correct
--unprivileged forces Nmap to rely on system calls like connect() which do not require root privileges.
Visual reference
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.