CEHPC Exam Dumps - Ethical Hacking Professional Certification Exam

Ethical responsibility in hacking refers to the obligation to perform all security testing activitieslegally, transparently, and with explicit authorization, making option B the correct answer. Ethical hacking is not defined solely by technical skill, but by adherence to legal boundaries, professional conduct, and organizational policies.

Ethical hackers must always obtainwritten permissionbefore conducting reconnaissance, scanning, or exploitation activities. This authorization clearly defines the scope, targets, and limitations of the engagement. Without permission, even basic scanning activities may be considered illegal or unethical, regardless of intent.

Option A is incorrect because technical knowledge alone does not make hacking ethical. Skills must be applied responsibly. Option C is incorrect because performing scans without permission is a violation of ethical and legal standards and may result in criminal charges.

From an ethical hacking perspective, responsibility also includes responsible disclosure, minimizing impact, protecting sensitive data, and reporting findings accurately. Ethical hackers must avoid data misuse, service disruption, or unnecessary system damage.

Understanding ethical responsibility is foundational to professional cybersecurity practice. It distinguishes ethical hackers from malicious actors and ensures that security testing contributes positively to risk reduction, compliance, and organizational trust.

Updating an operating system is a fundamental aspect of maintaininginformation security hygiene, especially in security-focused distributions such as Kali Linux. The correct command used to update the package list in Kali Linux from the console is sudo apt-get update, making option C the correct answer.

This command synchronizes the local package index with the repositories configured on the system. It does not install upgrades itself but retrieves the latest information about available software versions and security patches. Ethical hackers and security professionals rely on updated systems to ensure that tools function correctly and that known vulnerabilities are patched.

Option A is incorrect because it is not a valid Linux command. Option B is incorrect due to invalid characters and improper syntax. Proper command accuracy is critical in security environments, as incorrect commands can lead to system instability or incomplete updates.

From an ethical hacking standpoint, keeping Kali Linux updated ensures access to the latest penetration testing tools, vulnerability scanners, and security fixes. Many exploits target outdated software, so regular updates significantly reduce exposure to known threats.

Understanding system maintenance commands supports secure operations and reinforces best practices in defensive security and professional ethical hacking workflows.

In ethical hacking and cybersecurity, an exploit iscode or a sequence of commands designed to take advantage of a specific vulnerabilityin a system, application, or service. Therefore, option A is the correct answer.

Exploits are typically used after vulnerabilities have been identified during reconnaissance and scanning phases. They allow attackers or ethical hackers to verify whether a weakness can be practically abused. Exploits may result in unauthorized access, data disclosure, privilege escalation, or remote code execution, depending on the nature of the vulnerability.

Option B is incorrect because malware removal is a defensive activity and does not involve exploitation. Option C is incorrect because malicious programs that spread via social networks are classified as malware, not exploits.

From an ethical hacking perspective, exploits are used incontrolled and authorized environmentsto demonstrate the real-world impact of vulnerabilities. Ethical hackers often use exploit frameworks to safely test systems and provide remediation guidance.

Understanding exploits helps organizations prioritize patching, improve system hardening, and reduce exposure to known attack techniques. Ethical use of exploits strengthens security rather than undermines it.

SQL Injection (SQLi) is one of the most prevalent and damaging information security threats targeting web applications. Its main purpose is to exploit a database by manipulating Structured Query Language (SQL) commands through user-supplied input. This occurs when an application fails to properly filter or "sanitize" data entered into forms, URL parameters, or cookies, allowing an attacker to "inject" their own SQL code into the query that the application sends to the back-end database.

When successful, a SQL injection attack can have catastrophic consequences for an organization's data integrity and confidentiality. An attacker can bypass authentication to log in as an administrator without a password, view sensitive user data, modify or delete database records, and in some cases, gain administrative control over the entire database server. A classic example is the ' OR 1=1 -- injection, which forces a query to return "true" regardless of the credentials provided, effectively opening the door to the system.

Managing the threat of SQLi is a top priority for web security. The most effective defense is the use of "Parameterized Queries" (also known as prepared statements), which ensure that the database treats user input as data rather than executable code. Additionally, implementing "Input Validation" and the "Principle of Least Privilege" for database accounts helps mitigate the potential damage. From an ethical hacking standpoint, identifying SQLi vulnerabilities is a core component of vulnerability scanning and manual testing. Because databases often hold an organization's most valuable assets—including customer identities and financial records—protecting them from injection attacks is a non-negotiable aspect of modern information security management.

A remote exploit is a sophisticated attack vector where a threat actor manipulates a vulnerability in a system over a network—typically the internet—without having prior physical or local access to the target machine. This type of exploit is highly dangerous because the attacker can be located anywhere in the world, making it difficult to trace or physically stop. Remote exploits usually target services that are "listening" for incoming connections, such as web servers (HTTP/HTTPS), database servers (SQL), or remote desktop protocols (RDP).

The mechanism of a remote exploit often involves sending specially crafted data packets to a service to trigger a specific flaw, such as a buffer overflow or an injection vulnerability. If successful, the exploit can allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the same privileges as the service being attacked. This is often the first step in a larger attack chain, where the remote exploit provides the "initial access" needed to drop malware or pivot further into the internal network.

To manage and mitigate the risks associated with remote exploits, organizations must focus on "Attack Surface Reduction." This involves closing unnecessary ports, implementing robust firewalls, and using Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to flag suspicious network traffic. Patch management is the most effective defense, as most remote exploits target known vulnerabilities that have available security updates. Ethical hackers use remote exploits during penetration tests to demonstrate the exposure of an organization's perimeter. By identifying these external-facing weaknesses, they help the organization prioritize defenses on the services most likely to be targeted by global threat actors.

Ransomware is a pervasive and devastating form of malware that encrypts a victim's files, rendering them inaccessible until a ransom, typically in cryptocurrency, is paid to the attacker. A critical misconception in modern cybersecurity is that ransomware only targets high-value, large-scale organizations. In reality,anyonewith an internet-connected device is a potential target. While high-profile attacks on hospitals or infrastructure make the headlines, individuals, small businesses, and non-profits are frequently infected daily.

Attackers utilize varied methods to spread ransomware, many of which are non-discriminatory. These include:

Phishing: Sending mass emails with malicious attachments or links that, once clicked, execute the ransomware payload.

Exploiting Vulnerabilities: Automated bots scan the internet for unpatched software or exposed services (like RDP) to gain entry regardless of the target's identity.

Malvertising: Injecting malicious code into legitimate online advertising networks.

The shift toward "Ransomware-as-a-Service" (RaaS) has lowered the barrier to entry for criminals, allowing even low-skilled attackers to launch wide-reaching campaigns. For an individual, the loss of personal photos or tax documents can be just as traumatic as a data breach is for a company. Because ransomware can strike any operating system or device type, ethical hacking principles emphasize that every user must maintain a proactive defense. This includes regular data backups, keeping software updated to close security holes, and exercising extreme caution with email communication.

A security breach is acybersecurity incident in which unauthorized individuals gain access to sensitive personal or organizational data, making option A the correct answer. Security breaches can involve data theft, data exposure, system compromise, or loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability.

Breaches may occur due to malware infections, phishing attacks, weak credentials, unpatched vulnerabilities, insider threats, or misconfigured systems. Ethical hackers analyze breach scenarios to understand how attackers bypass defenses and what impact the breach can have on business operations.

Option B is incorrect because hacking the entire internet is unrealistic and not a valid definition. Option C is incorrect because internet outages are infrastructure issues, not necessarily security breaches.

From a defensive standpoint, understanding security breaches helps organizations improve detection, response, and recovery capabilities. Ethical hackers help simulate breach scenarios to identify gaps in monitoring and incident response plans.

Preventing breaches requires layered security controls, user awareness, continuous monitoring, and regular testing. Ethical hacking plays a critical role in reducing breach likelihood and impact.

In the realm of personal and organizational information security, tracking historical data breaches is essential for assessing risk. The website Have I Been Pwned? (HIBP) is a verified, industry-standard tool created by security researcher Troy Hunt that allows individuals and security professionals to check if an email address or username has been part of a publicly known data breach. When a major service (like LinkedIn, Adobe, or MySpace) is compromised, hackers often leak the resulting databases onto the "dark web". HIBP aggregates these leaks into a searchable interface.

For an ethical hacker, HIBP is an invaluable resource during thepassive recognitionphase of an engagement. By checking an organization's employee emails against this database, a tester can identify which staff members have had their credentials exposed in the past. This is critical because many users "recycle" passwords across multiple services. If an employee's password was leaked in a breach of a non-work-related site, an attacker might attempt to use those same credentials to gain access to the corporate network—a technique known as "credential stuffing".

Using the site is simple: users enter their email address, and the service returns a list of breaches that included that address, along with what types of data were stolen (e.g., passwords, birthdates, or IP addresses). If a compromise is found, the immediate remediation step is to change the password for that account and any other account where that password was reused, and to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Checking this site regularly is a standard "best practice" for maintaining high levels of information security hygiene in a landscape where data breaches occur with increasing frequency.