Exam PT0-002 topic 1 question 273 discussion

Ooof what a question. after chatting with many AIs and digging into my A+,Net+,Sec+,Cysa+ studies I think this explanation makes me pick D SYNFIN Scan (Option D): Stealthiest approach: Sends only a SYN and FIN packet, which is often ignored by firewalls and IDSes. Doesn't complete a full TCP handshake: Reduces the likelihood of detection. Effective for mapping ports and firewalls: Reveals open and closed ports without raising alarms. Other Options and Their Limitations: Fast Scan (Option A): Quick but less stealthy, as it sends more probes that can be noticed. (there was another question where the answer was actually -f for stealth i think -f is still stealthy but just not as good as SYNFIN) Data Length Adjustment (Option B): Can evade some detection techniques, but not as robust as SYNFIN. Decoy Scan (Option C): Uses decoy IP addresses to obscure the source, but can still be detected if analyzed carefully. In summary, the SYNFIN scan is the most effective choice for avoiding detection due to its unique approach and incomplete handshake behavior.

C. nmap -D 0.5.2.2 192.168.5.5 The -D option is used for decoy scanning. By using decoys, Nmap makes it appear as if the scan is coming from multiple IP addresses (including the specified decoy address 0.5.2.2). This can confuse intrusion detection and protection systems by obfuscating the true source of the scan. Explanation: A. nmap -F 192.168.5.5: The -F option in Nmap is for fast mode, which scans fewer ports. While this may speed up the scan, it does not specifically help in evading detection. B. nmap -datalength 2 192.168.5.5: The -datalength option specifies the length of the data to append to each probe, which might slightly obfuscate the scan but does not significantly reduce the likelihood of detection. D. nmap -scanflags SYNFIN 192.168.5.5: The -scanflags option allows custom TCP flags to be set. While this can be used to evade some simple detection mechanisms, it does not necessarily lower the probability of detection significantly compared to using decoys.

The -datalength option adds extra random data to the sent packets, potentially making it more difficult for intrusion detection systems (IDS) to recognize the scan as malicious or anomalous. This option can help to mask the scan's signature, thereby reducing its visibility to security monitoring systems.

D. nmap -scanflags SYNFIN 192.168.5.5

I think it's D. option C (-D) is for decoy. it will hide your IP but IDS will know someone is scanning. option A (-F) is scanning top 100 ports. No guarantee it won't be detected. even if it avoids being detected, the port information will be limited. option B is absurd. I will go with D

D: Settings the flags helps ivade detection although higher grade detection systems know that trick, A does not implement counter detection methods, B: altering the datalength is a good idea but "2" does not change it enough, C: decoy parameter is wrong

Answer is A. See comment thread with Natthew99 below.

To limit observation of the penetration tester’s activities and lower the probability of detection by intrusion protection and detection systems, the security analyst should use the following Nmap command: C. nmap -D 0.5.2.2 192.168.5.5 The -D option is used to specify decoy IP addresses to be used as a decoy for the actual IP address of the penetration tester. This makes it difficult for intrusion detection systems to detect the actual IP address of the penetration tester. Option A (nmap -F 192.168.5.5) is used to perform a fast scan by scanning only the most common ports. This option does not help in limiting observation of the penetration tester’s activities. Option B (nmap -datalength 2 192.168.5.5) is used to specify the length of data in each probe packet. This option does not help in limiting observation of the penetration tester’s activities. Option D (nmap -scanflags SYNFIN 192.168.5.5) is used to set TCP flags in packets sent during scanning. This option does not help in limiting observation of the penetration tester’s activities.

I chose A because the C option specifies a invalid decoy address which could cause issues. The decoy IP address should be up, per nmap