ECCouncil 312-50v13 - Certified Ethical Hacker Exam (CEHv13)

In CEH v13 Module 01: Information Security Governance, PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is introduced as the mandatory compliance framework for organizations handling credit card transactions.

PCI-DSS Requirements Include:

Encrypting cardholder data.

Maintaining secure systems and applications.

Regular vulnerability testing and audits.

Restricting access to sensitive data.

Option Clarification:

A. FISMA: Applies to U.S. federal information systems.

B. HITECH: Related to health information privacy and HIPAA.

C. PCI-DSS: Correct for credit card companies and merchant environments.

D. SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley): Focuses on financial reporting, not card data.

Passive Assessment Passive assessments sniff the traffic present on the network to identify the active systems, network services, applications, and vulnerabilities. Passive assessments also provide a list of the users who are currently accessing the network.

The described attack is a Downgrade Security Attack. In this scenario:

The legitimate client and access point support both WPA2 and WPA3.

The attacker introduces a rogue AP that only supports WPA2.

The victim connects to this rogue AP using WPA2 (less secure) instead of WPA3.

Once downgraded, the attacker captures the handshake and attempts to crack the WPA2 encryption.

This is known as a “Downgrade Attack” or “Downgrade Negotiation Attack,” which exploits backward compatibility in security protocols.

Incorrect Options:

A. Timing-based attacks usually refer to side-channel analysis, not protocol downgrading.

B. Side-channel attacks extract info via timing, power usage, etc., not protocol negotiation.

D. Cache-based attacks exploit memory caching behavior.

Reference – CEH v13 Official Courseware:

Module 16: Hacking Wireless Networks

Section: “Wireless Encryption Attacks”

Subsection: “Downgrade Attacks (WPA3 to WPA2) and Rogue Access Points”

CEH guidance for web server hardening prioritizes controls that reduce exploitable conditions across the broadest set of threats. While obscuring paths (for example, unusual directory names like “certrcx” or storing content under “/admin/web”) may slightly slow down casual discovery, CEH emphasizes that security through obscurity is not a reliable control. If an attacker can identify the server root, document root, and virtual directory structure (through misconfigurations, directory listing, error leakage, backup exposure, or known-path enumeration), then the real risk becomes unpatched vulnerabilities in the web server, modules, libraries, and underlying OS.

Regularly updating and patching the server software is the most direct, high-impact countermeasure because it closes known vulnerabilities attackers routinely exploit (RCE, privilege escalation, auth bypass, path traversal, request smuggling, etc.). CEH materials also stress that virtual hosting expands the attack surface (multiple sites, shared services, shared misconfigurations), making systematic patching and configuration management even more important.

Option A (moving the document root to a different disk) may help with organization and, in some cases, recovery planning, but it does not inherently reduce vulnerabilities. Option C (changing IPs) is not a security control; it may complicate blocking lists but doesn’t fix the underlying weakness. Option D (using LAMP) is an architectural choice, not a security measure by itself—an open-source stack can still be insecure if misconfigured or unpatched.

Therefore, CEH-aligned best practice is regular patching and updates.

The ethical hacker is likely performing an SYN scan to stealthily identify open ports without fully establishing a connection. An SYN scan, also known as a half-open scan or a stealth scan, is a type of port scanning technique that exploits the TCP three-way handshake process. The hacker sends an SYN packet to a target port and waits for a response. If the target responds with an SYN/ACK packet, it means the port is open and listening for connections. If the target responds with an RST packet, it means the port is closed and not accepting connections. However, instead of completing the handshake with an ACK packet, the hacker sends an RST packet to abort the connection. This way, the hacker avoids creating a full connection and logging an entry in the target’s system, making the scan less detectable and intrusive. The hacker can repeat this process for different ports and identify which ones are open and potentially vulnerable to exploitation12.

The other options are not correct for the following reasons:

B. They are performing a TCP connect scan to identify open ports on the target machine: This option is incorrect because a TCP connect scan involves establishing a full connection with the target port by completing the TCP three-way handshake. The hacker sends an SYN packet, receives an SYN/ACK packet, and then sends an ACK packet to finalize the connection. Then, the hacker terminates the connection with an RST or FIN packet. A TCP connect scan is more reliable and compatible than an SYN scan, but also more noisy and slow, as it creates more traffic and logs on the target system12.

C. They are performing a vulnerability scan to identify any weaknesses in the target system: This option is incorrect because a vulnerability scan is a broader and deeper process than a port scan. A vulnerability scan involves identifying and assessing the security flaws and risks in a system or network, such as missing patches, misconfigurations, outdated software, or weak passwords. A vulnerability scan may use port scanning as one of its techniques, but it also uses other methods, such as banner grabbing, service enumeration, or exploit testing. A vulnerability scan usually requires more time, resources, and permissions than a port scan34.

D. They are performing a network scan to identify live hosts and their IP addresses: This option is incorrect because a network scan is a different process than a port scan. A network scan involves discovering and mapping the devices and hosts connected to a network, such as routers, switches, servers, or workstations. A network scan may use ping, traceroute, or ARP requests to identify the IP addresses, MAC addresses, and hostnames of the live hosts. A network scan usually precedes a port scan, as it provides the target range and scope for the port scan56.

Split DNS (also known as Split-Horizon DNS) is a configuration where internal users and external users receive different DNS responses. Typically, one DNS server resides in the DMZ for public access, and another is inside the network for internal name resolution.

📘 Reference – CEH v13 Official Study Guide, Module 9: System Hacking / Perimeter Security

“Split DNS allows different DNS records to be presented based on whether the requester is from inside or outside the organization’s network.”

❌ Incorrect options:

A. DynDNS is a dynamic DNS provider.

B. DNS Scheme is a non-standard term.

C. DNSSEC is a security extension for DNS, not a deployment model.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From CEH v13 Guide:

Vulnerability identification is the step in the risk assessment process where security flaws or weaknesses are identified in existing systems, policies, or procedures.

CEH v13 Reference:

Module 5: Vulnerability Assessment – Risk Assessment Concepts

“Vulnerability identification is the process of discovering existing flaws and weaknesses in systems or processes that may be exploited.”

=

A counter-based authentication system is based on the HOTP (HMAC-Based One-Time Password) algorithm. It uses a shared secret and a moving counter to generate a one-time password (OTP). Each time the counter is incremented, a new OTP is generated and encrypted using the secret key.

Reference – CEH v13 Official Study Guide:

Module 5: System Hacking

Quote:

“HOTP generates a one-time password using a counter value and a secret key. This is a form of two-factor authentication, and the passwords are encrypted.”

Incorrect Options Explained:

A & B. These describe biometric systems, not counter-based OTPs.

D. Virtual passwords from passphrases are not counter-based systems.

=

A dictionary Attack as an attack vector utilized by the attacker to break in a very system, that is password protected, by golf shot technically each word in a very dictionary as a variety of password for that system. This attack vector could be a variety of Brute Force Attack.

The lexicon will contain words from an English dictionary and conjointly some leaked list of commonly used passwords and once combined with common character substitution with numbers, will generally be terribly effective and quick.

How is it done?

Basically, it’s attempting each single word that’s already ready. it’s done victimization machine-controlled tools that strive all the possible words within the dictionary.

Some password Cracking Software:

• John the ripper

• L0phtCrack

• Aircrack-ng

flags –source-port and -g are equivalent and instruct nmap to send packets through a selected port. this option is used to try to cheat firewalls whitelisting traffic from specific ports. the following example can scan the target from the port twenty to ports eighty, 22, 21,23 and 25 sending fragmented packets to LinuxHint.

MX (Mail Exchange) records in DNS define the mail servers responsible for receiving email for a domain. Each MX record has a priority value.

Important concept:

A lower number indicates a higher priority.

Email servers attempt delivery to the mail server with the lowest priority first.

For example:

If MX records are:

10 mail1.example.com

20 mail2.example.com

Then mail1 will be tried first. If it fails, mail2 will be used.

So the statement “MX record priority increases as the number increases” is false.

According to CEH v13 Module 06: Malware Threats, when analyzing suspicious system behavior or investigating a suspected Trojan infection, a common and effective approach is to:

Monitor system activity and network behavior using tools like netstat, Wireshark, and TCPView.

Trojans often create covert channels or backdoors for remote access, which can be identified through unexpected or unauthorized outgoing connections to remote IP addresses or domains.

Using netstat -an or netstat -ano helps identify open ports and active connections, and checking these against known IPs can indicate whether a Trojan is communicating with a Command and Control (C&C) server.

Analysis of Each Option:

A. Use ExifTool and check for malicious content

Incorrect. ExifTool is primarily used for extracting metadata from files, especially images and documents. It is not effective for analyzing executable malware or system behavior post-execution.

B. You do not check; rather, you immediately restore a previous snapshot of the operating system

Incorrect. While restoring from a snapshot might eventually be required, immediate restoration without diagnosis is not a recommended or forensically sound first step. It also prevents root cause analysis.

C. Upload the file to VirusTotal

Partially correct but not sufficient. While uploading the file to VirusTotal is a good step to confirm if the file is known malware, it does not identify whether the machine is currently infected or actively compromised.

D. Use netstat and check for outgoing connections to strange IP addresses or domains

Correct. This method helps detect if the system is making suspicious external connections that are common in Trojan infections.

Reference from CEH v13 Study Guide and Course Materials:

CEH v13 Official Module 06 – Malware Threats, Section: Types of Malware – Trojans, and System Monitoring Tools

CEH v13 eCourseware Lab Manual: "Detecting Trojan Activity using netstat and TCPView"

CEH Engage Range: Malware Investigation Phase – Trojan Behavior Detection

In a Windows system, a Security Identifier (SID) uniquely identifies each user and group. The SID format is:

S-1-5-21--

The Relative Identifier (RID) is the last component in the SID string.

According to Microsoft and CEH v13:

RID 500 → Built-in Administrator account

RID 501 → Guest account

RIDs > 1000 → Regular user accounts

In the given image, the SID:

s-1-5-21-1125394485-807628933-54978560-500chang

has a RID of 500, indicating the built-in administrator account.

From CEH v13:

Module 4: Enumeration

Topic: SID Enumeration

CEH v13 States:

“When enumerating Windows systems, the account with RID 500 is always the default Administrator account, unless renamed. Attackers often target this account due to its elevated privileges.”

Incorrect Options:

All others have RIDs not equal to 500 (e.g., 100, 652, 412, etc.)

SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function, and CEH v13 clearly states that hash functions alone provide data integrity, but not authenticity or non-repudiation. If attackers can modify data and recompute the hash, integrity checks will still pass.

The issue arises because SHA-256 does not prove who created or modified the data. To address this weakness, CEH v13 recommends using digital signatures, which combine hashing with asymmetric cryptography. A digital signature ensures:

Integrity (data has not changed)

Authentication (data was signed by a known entity)

Non-repudiation (the signer cannot deny the action)

Digital signatures work by hashing the data and encrypting the hash with the sender’s private key. Any modification to the data invalidates the signature.

Encryption alone (Options A and C) protects confidentiality, not integrity or authenticity. SSL/TLS (Option B) secures data in transit but does not protect stored data from tampering.

CEH v13 explicitly identifies digital signatures as the correct cryptographic control when integrity mechanisms alone are insufficient. Therefore, Option D is correct.

In CEH v13 Module 11: Hacking Wireless Networks, WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is discussed as a vulnerable configuration that can be exploited using tools like Reaver and wash.

wash is a command-line utility used to detect WPS-enabled Access Points.

It provides information about:

Whether WPS is enabled or locked.

Signal strength, BSSID, channel, etc.

Very useful before attempting WPS PIN attacks.

Option Clarifications:

B. ntptrace: Used for querying NTP servers, not wireless networks.

C. macof: Part of dsniff suite; floods network with MAC addresses (DoS tool).

D. net view: Windows command for listing network shares, not for wireless or WPS.

Correct answer is A. wash.

A brute force attack is a method of trying different combinations of passwords or keys to gain access to a system or service. It is not a reliable way of detecting a honeypot, as it may trigger an alert or response from the target. Moreover, a brute force attack does not provide any information about the system’s characteristics or behavior that could indicate a honeypot. A honeypot is a decoy system that is designed to attract and trap attackers, while providing security teams with valuable intelligence and insights. Therefore, an ethical hacker needs to use more subtle and stealthy techniques to detect and avoid honeypots.

The other options are valid techniques for detecting a honeypot. Probing system services and observing the three-way handshake can reveal anomalies or inconsistencies in the system’s responses, such as abnormal banners, ports, or protocols. Using honeypot detection tools like Send-Safe Honeypot Hunter can scan the target network and identify potential honeypots based on various criteria, such as IP address, domain name, or open ports. Analyzing the MAC address can detect instances running on VMware, which is a common platform for deploying honeypots. A honeypot running on VMware will have a MAC address that starts with 00:0C:29, 00:50:56, or 00:05:69. References:

What is a Honeypot? Types, Benefits, Risks and Best Practices

Using Honeypots for Network Intrusion Detection

Detecting Honeypot Access With Varonis

Vulnerability scanning solutions perform vulnerability penetration tests on the organizational network in three steps:

1. Locating nodes: The first step in vulnerability scanning is to locate live hosts in the target network using various scanning techniques.

2. Performing service and OS discovery on them: After detecting the live hosts in the target network, the next step is to enumerate the open ports and services and the operating system on the target systems.

3. Testing those services and OS for known vulnerabilities: Finally, after identifying the open services and the operating system running on the target nodes, they are tested for known vulnerabilities.

Windows TTL 128, Linux TTL 64, OpenBSD 255 ... https://subinsb.com/default-device-ttl-values/

Time to Live (TTL) represents to number of 'hops' a packet can take before it is considered invalid. For Windows/Windows Phone, this value is 128. This value is 64 for Linux/Android.

This technique is known as Boolean-Based Blind SQL Injection, as defined in CEH v13 Web Application Hacking. When applications suppress database errors and return generic responses, attackers use conditional statements to infer database behavior.

By comparing responses to true (1=1) and false (1=2) conditions, the attacker deduces whether injected SQL is being executed successfully.

CEH v13 distinguishes this from:

Error-based SQLi (visible DB errors)

UNION-based SQLi (data extraction)

Time-based SQLi (response delays)

Boolean-based blind SQL injection relies solely on content differences, making option C correct.

CEH v13 identifies covert channels in legacy industrial protocols as among the hardest sniffing techniques to detect. Modbus, widely used in OT and ICS environments, lacks authentication and encryption, making it ideal for covert communication.

Attackers can manipulate function codes and payload timing to exfiltrate data without triggering traditional IDS signatures. CEH v13 highlights that OT protocols often bypass deep inspection tools, making covert channels extremely stealthy.

Other options are less realistic or less persistent in modern enterprise environments.