PEN-200 Port Redirection and Tunneling Practice Question
Exhibit
C:\> plink.exe -ssh -L 8080:10.0.0.5:80 user@192.168.1.10 -pw password FATAL ERROR: Network error: Connection refused
Refer to the exhibit. You are attempting a local port forward using PLINK, but receive a 'Connection refused' error. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume a 'Connection refused' error means the internal target service is down, overlooking the fact that the initial SSH connection to the jump host failed completely.
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
✓
The SSH service on the jump host is unavailable.
A 'Connection refused' error typically indicates that the SSH service is not running on the target jump host (192.168.1.10) or that a firewall is blocking the connection to port 22. Even if the internal destination (10.0.0.5:80) is unreachable, the SSH connection to the jump host itself must be established first. If the initial SSH handshake fails, the tunnel cannot be created.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The internal target (10.0.0.5) is down.
Why it's wrong here
If the internal target were down, the SSH connection would still succeed. The tunnel would be established, but the port forward would simply fail to connect when you tried to use it. The error shown occurs before the tunnel is even established, pointing to the jump host connection attempt.
- ✓
The SSH service on the jump host is unavailable.
Why this is correct
Connection refused implies the target IP address is reachable, but the specific port (typically 22 for SSH) is closed or not accepting connections. This is common if the SSH service is disabled, misconfigured, or if an egress firewall on your local network is blocking outbound connections to port 22.
- ✗
The password provided is incorrect.
Why it's wrong here
An incorrect password would result in an authentication error, not a 'Connection refused' error. Connection refused indicates the transport layer failed to establish a socket connection with the destination service, meaning the authentication phase was never reached in the SSH protocol exchange between the client and the server.
- ✗
The local port 8080 is already in use.
Why it's wrong here
If local port 8080 were already in use, the error message would explicitly state that the address is already in use or that the socket could not be bound. 'Connection refused' is a network-level error indicating the target machine rejected the connection request at the TCP handshake stage.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PEN-200 question from scratch — 285 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 September 2026 · checked against the official OffSec exam blueprint
This PEN-200 practice question is part of Courseiva's free OffSec 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 PEN-200 exam.