Question bank
Offensive Security Certified Professional
5 Offensive Security Certified Professional questions with the correct answer and a written explanation, organised across 4 exam domains.
- 5 questions
- 4 domains
- Foundation level
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Active Directory
1 questions in this domain
- Question 1Single Choice
In the context of payload delivery, what best describes a reverse shell?
- AIt initiates a connection from the target back to the attackerCorrect answer
- BIt opens a port on the target and waits for the attacker to connect
- CIt uses legitimate pre-installed system tools to download payloads
- DIt encodes the payload in Base64 to bypass signature detection
Why this is the answer
A reverse shell makes the target connect back to the attacker, bypassing inbound firewall restrictions. The other options describe bind shells, living off the land, and obfuscation techniques.
Exploitation
2 questions in this domain
- Question 2Single Choice
What is the primary characteristic of a reverse shell?
- AIt initiates a connection from the target back to the attacker.Correct answer
- BIt opens a port on the target and waits for the attacker to connect.
- CIt relies on DNS tunneling to establish the connection.
- DIt requires a public IP address on the target machine.
Why this is the answer
A reverse shell connects from the target to the attacker, making it useful for bypassing inbound firewall rules. Bind shells do the opposite by listening on the target.
- Question 3Multiple Select
Which statements accurately describe the difference between staged and stageless payloads?
- AA staged payload starts with a small stub that later downloads the main payload from the attacker.Correct answer
- BA stageless payload is a single self-contained file that includes all the required code.Correct answer
- CA staged payload always performs better in every network environment than a stageless payload.
- DA stageless payload must be downloaded in multiple parts before execution.
Why this is the answer
Staged payloads first send a small stub that retrieves the rest of the payload, while stageless payloads are complete single files. Staging helps when memory is limited.
Post-Exploitation
1 questions in this domain
- Question 4Single Choice
Which type of shell initiates a connection from the target system back to the attacker, allowing it to bypass inbound firewall restrictions?
- AReverse shellCorrect answer
- BBind shell
- CStaged shell
- DStageless shell
Why this is the answer
A reverse shell works by making the target initiate an outbound connection to the attacker. This is effective because many firewalls block unsolicited inbound connections but permit outbound traffic. A bind shell, by contrast, opens a listening port on the target, which is more likely to be blocked by network security controls.
Privilege Escalation
1 questions in this domain
- Question 5Single Choice
In the context of payload delivery during penetration testing, what is a reverse shell?
- ATarget connects back to attackerCorrect answer
- BAttacker connects to target on open port
- CTarget opens a port and listens passively
- DAttacker uploads a web shell to a server
Why this is the answer
A reverse shell initiates a connection from the target back to the attacker, bypassing inbound firewall rules and enabling remote command execution.
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