CompTIA PenTest+ Practice Test

Which technique is commonly used to gather information about a target system's structure and services?

1. Port scanning

2. Phishing

3. Data exfiltration

4. Social engineering

The correct answer is: Port scanning

Port scanning is a widely employed technique for gathering information about a target system's structure and the services it offers. This method involves sending packets to specific ports on a system to determine which are open, closed, or filtered. By analyzing the responses received from the target during a scan, an attacker can identify the services running on those open ports, the operating system in use, and any potential vulnerabilities associated with those services. Understanding the information returned from port scans can help assess the overall security posture of the target system. For example, if a specific version of a service is identified as running on a port, the attacker can look up known vulnerabilities for that version, aiding in further exploitation efforts. This reconnaissance phase is crucial in penetration testing and ethical hacking to map out the target environment before any further attacks are attempted.