GPEN Advanced Password Attacks Practice Question
During a penetration test, an operator captures a network authentication attempt using the NTLMv2 protocol. The operator wants to crack the captured challenge-response offline using Hashcat. Which hash mode should the operator select to correctly process the captured NetNTLMv2 hash?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse NetNTLMv1 and NetNTLMv2 hash modes, as both are network authentication hashes but require different Hashcat modes.
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
✓
5600
NetNTLMv2 hashes require Hashcat mode 5600. This mode is optimized for the NetNTLMv2 challenge-response format, which includes the username, domain, server challenge, and HMAC-MD5 response. Using the correct mode is essential for successful offline cracking. Other modes correspond to different hash types and will not work with NetNTLMv2 captures.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
5600
Why this is correct
Hashcat mode 5600 is specifically designed for NetNTLMv2 hashes. These hashes are captured from network authentication attempts and consist of the username, domain, server challenge, and the HMAC-MD5 response. Selecting this mode ensures Hashcat correctly parses the format and applies the appropriate cracking algorithm. Using any other mode would result in errors or incorrect cracking attempts.
- ✗
5500
Why it's wrong here
Hashcat mode 5500 is for NetNTLMv1 hashes, which use a weaker challenge-response mechanism. NetNTLMv1 and NetNTLMv2 have different hash structures and cracking algorithms. Using mode 5500 on a NetNTLMv2 hash would fail because the hash format does not match, and the cracking process would not correctly compute the response.
- ✗
13100
Why it's wrong here
Hashcat mode 13100 is for Kerberos 5 TGS-REP etype 23 (RC4) hashes, commonly obtained from Kerberoasting. NetNTLMv2 is a completely different protocol and hash format. Using mode 13100 on a NetNTLMv2 hash would result in an error or no cracking progress because the algorithms and input formats are incompatible.
- ✗
1000
Why it's wrong here
Hashcat mode 1000 is for NTLM hashes, which are the raw NT hash of the password (often called NTLM hash). NetNTLMv2 is a challenge-response hash, not the raw NT hash. Mode 1000 expects a 32-character hexadecimal string, while NetNTLMv2 hashes contain additional fields like the challenge and response. Selecting mode 1000 would not work for NetNTLMv2 captures.
About these practice questions
This GPEN question is part of Courseiva's 298-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 September 2026 · checked against the official GIAC exam blueprint
This GPEN practice question is part of Courseiva's free GIAC 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 GPEN exam.