COMPTIA PENTEST+ PRACTICE EXAM LATEST 2026
UPDATE 100 QUESTIONS AND DETAILED VERIFIED
ANSWERS FROM ACTUAL EXAMS TEST GRADE A+
1. What is the primary goal of a penetration test?
A. Install security tools
B. Identify vulnerabilities before attackers do
C. Patch systems automatically
D. Replace firewall rules
Answer: B
Rationale: Penetration testing simulates real attacks to identify vulnerabilities
before malicious actors exploit them.
2. Which phase comes FIRST in a penetration test?
A. Exploitation
B. Reporting
C. Reconnaissance
D. Post-exploitation
Answer: C
Rationale: Reconnaissance involves gathering information about the target before
any attack steps.
3. What type of scan is stealthiest?
A. TCP connect scan
B. SYN scan
,C. UDP scan
D. Ping sweep
Answer: B
Rationale: SYN scans do not complete the TCP handshake, making them harder to
detect.
4. Which tool is commonly used for network discovery?
A. Wireshark
B. Nmap
C. Metasploit
D. John the Ripper
Answer: B
Rationale: Nmap is widely used for host discovery and port scanning.
5. What does vulnerability scanning primarily identify?
A. Active exploits
B. Open ports only
C. Known security weaknesses
D. User passwords
Answer: C
Rationale: Vulnerability scanners detect known weaknesses in systems and
applications.
6. What is the purpose of enumeration?
A. Encrypt traffic
B. Collect detailed system information
C. Patch vulnerabilities
D. Disable firewalls
,Answer: B
Rationale: Enumeration extracts detailed data such as usernames, shares, and
services.
7. Which protocol is commonly targeted for credential harvesting?
A. SMTP
B. SMB
C. DNS
D. ICMP
Answer: B
Rationale: SMB often exposes shares and authentication mechanisms that can be
abused.
8. What is a zero-day vulnerability?
A. A patched vulnerability
B. A known bug with fix available
C. A vulnerability unknown to vendor
D. A firewall misconfiguration
Answer: C
Rationale: Zero-days are unknown to vendors and have no available patch.
9. What is the main purpose of pivoting?
A. Encrypt traffic
B. Move through networks via compromised hosts
C. Block IDS alerts
D. Scan external IPs only
Answer: B
Rationale: Pivoting uses a compromised system to access other internal systems.
, 10. Which tool is used for password cracking?
A. Hydra
B. Netcat
C. Burp Suite
D. Nikto
Answer: A
Rationale: Hydra is used for brute-force login attacks.
11. What does SQL injection target?
A. Operating system
B. Database queries
C. Firewall rules
D. DNS servers
Answer: B
Rationale: SQL injection manipulates database queries through input fields.
12. Which phase involves removing traces of an attack?
A. Reconnaissance
B. Exploitation
C. Post-exploitation
D. Reporting
Answer: C
Rationale: Post-exploitation may include clearing logs and maintaining access.
13. What is a reverse shell?
UPDATE 100 QUESTIONS AND DETAILED VERIFIED
ANSWERS FROM ACTUAL EXAMS TEST GRADE A+
1. What is the primary goal of a penetration test?
A. Install security tools
B. Identify vulnerabilities before attackers do
C. Patch systems automatically
D. Replace firewall rules
Answer: B
Rationale: Penetration testing simulates real attacks to identify vulnerabilities
before malicious actors exploit them.
2. Which phase comes FIRST in a penetration test?
A. Exploitation
B. Reporting
C. Reconnaissance
D. Post-exploitation
Answer: C
Rationale: Reconnaissance involves gathering information about the target before
any attack steps.
3. What type of scan is stealthiest?
A. TCP connect scan
B. SYN scan
,C. UDP scan
D. Ping sweep
Answer: B
Rationale: SYN scans do not complete the TCP handshake, making them harder to
detect.
4. Which tool is commonly used for network discovery?
A. Wireshark
B. Nmap
C. Metasploit
D. John the Ripper
Answer: B
Rationale: Nmap is widely used for host discovery and port scanning.
5. What does vulnerability scanning primarily identify?
A. Active exploits
B. Open ports only
C. Known security weaknesses
D. User passwords
Answer: C
Rationale: Vulnerability scanners detect known weaknesses in systems and
applications.
6. What is the purpose of enumeration?
A. Encrypt traffic
B. Collect detailed system information
C. Patch vulnerabilities
D. Disable firewalls
,Answer: B
Rationale: Enumeration extracts detailed data such as usernames, shares, and
services.
7. Which protocol is commonly targeted for credential harvesting?
A. SMTP
B. SMB
C. DNS
D. ICMP
Answer: B
Rationale: SMB often exposes shares and authentication mechanisms that can be
abused.
8. What is a zero-day vulnerability?
A. A patched vulnerability
B. A known bug with fix available
C. A vulnerability unknown to vendor
D. A firewall misconfiguration
Answer: C
Rationale: Zero-days are unknown to vendors and have no available patch.
9. What is the main purpose of pivoting?
A. Encrypt traffic
B. Move through networks via compromised hosts
C. Block IDS alerts
D. Scan external IPs only
Answer: B
Rationale: Pivoting uses a compromised system to access other internal systems.
, 10. Which tool is used for password cracking?
A. Hydra
B. Netcat
C. Burp Suite
D. Nikto
Answer: A
Rationale: Hydra is used for brute-force login attacks.
11. What does SQL injection target?
A. Operating system
B. Database queries
C. Firewall rules
D. DNS servers
Answer: B
Rationale: SQL injection manipulates database queries through input fields.
12. Which phase involves removing traces of an attack?
A. Reconnaissance
B. Exploitation
C. Post-exploitation
D. Reporting
Answer: C
Rationale: Post-exploitation may include clearing logs and maintaining access.
13. What is a reverse shell?
