Basic Concepts (1–10)
1. What is ethical hacking?
A) Illegal hacking
B) Hacking for personal gain
C) Authorized testing of systems for security weaknesses
D) Spamming networks
Answer: C
2. What does CIA stand for in cybersecurity?
A) Central Intelligence Agency
B) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
C) Cyber Intelligence Access
D) Control, Inspect, Audit
Answer: B
3. Which of the following is a common type of cyberattack?
A) Phishing
B) Gardening
C) Formatting
D) Printing
Answer: A
4. What is a vulnerability?
A) A strong password
B) A system weakness that can be exploited
C) Antivirus software
D) Firewall rule
Answer: B
5. What is the purpose of penetration testing?
A) Destroy systems
B) Identify and fix security weaknesses
C) Create malware
D) Slow down networks
Answer: B
6. Which port does HTTP use by default?
A) 21
B) 22
C) 80
D) 443
Answer: C
7. Which port does HTTPS use?
A) 80
B) 21
C) 443
D) 25
Answer: C
8. What is malware?
A) Security update
B) Malicious software
C) Firewall
D) Encryption
Answer: B
9. What is brute force attack?
A) Guessing passwords repeatedly
B) Sending emails
C) Encrypting data
D) Blocking ports
Answer: A
10. Which one is a strong password?
A) 123456
B) password
C) Admin123
D) T9#kL!82xQ
Answer: D
Networking Basics (11–20)
11. What does IP stand for?
A) Internet Protocol
B) Internal Program
C) Internet Password
D) Input Process
Answer: A
12. Which tool is used for network scanning?
A) Photoshop
B) Excel
C) Nmap
D) Word
Answer: C
13. What is a firewall used for?
A) Heating system
B) Network security filtering
C) Password storage
D) Email sending
Answer: B
14. What is DNS used for?
A) Sending emails
B) Translating domain names to IP addresses
C) Encrypting files
D) Blocking malware
Answer: B
15. Which protocol is used to securely transfer files?
A) FTP
B) HTTP
C) SFTP
D) Telnet
Answer: C
16. What is ping used for?
A) Scan ports
B) Test connectivity
C) Hack passwords
D) Encrypt data
Answer: B
17. What does LAN stand for?
A) Large Area Network
B) Local Area Network
C) Long Access Node
D) Logical Area Network
Answer: B
18. Which device connects different networks together?
A) Switch
B) Router
C) Keyboard
D) Monitor
Answer: B
19. What is MAC address?
A) IP address
B) Physical address of a device
C) Email address
D) Website name
Answer: B
20. Which command checks open ports on a target?
A) ping
B) ipconfig
C) nmap
D) mkdir
Answer: C
Security Tools & Attacks (21–35)
21. Which OS is popular for ethical hackers?
A) Windows XP
B) Ubuntu Server
C) Kali Linux
D) macOS Classic
Answer: C
22. What is phishing?
A) Network scanning
B) Fake emails to steal information
C) Port blocking
D) Password encryption
Answer: B
23. What is SQL Injection?
A) Injecting database queries into input fields
B) Installing SQL software
C) Cleaning database
D) Encrypting database
Answer: A
24. What does VPN stand for?
A) Virtual Private Network
B) Variable Public Network
C) Verified Private Node
D) Virtual Public Network
Answer: A
25. Which tool is used for exploitation?
A) Notepad
B) Calculator
C) Metasploit
D) Paint
Answer: C
26. What is social engineering?
A) Network design
B) Manipulating people to gain confidential info
C) Software coding
D) Installing firewall
Answer: B
27. What is ransomware?
A) Free software
B) Malware that demands payment
C) Antivirus tool
D) Firewall rule
Answer: B
28. What is keylogging?
A) Recording keystrokes
B) Logging network traffic
C) Firewall rule
D) Encrypting files
Answer: A
29. What is DoS attack?
A) Data storage
B) Denial of Service
C) Domain of Security
D) Digital Operating System
Answer: B
30. What is XSS?
A) Cross-Site Scripting
B) Extra Secure Server
C) XML Secure System
D) Extended Security Service
Answer: A
31. What is encryption used for?
A) Hide data
B) Delete files
C) Speed internet
D) Scan ports
Answer: A
32. Which is a common password cracking method?
A) Hashing
B) Dictionary attack
C) Firewalling
D) Routing
Answer: B
33. What is two-factor authentication?
A) Two passwords
B) Two usernames
C) Two verification methods
D) Two firewalls
Answer: C
34. What is spyware?
A) Monitoring software
B) Antivirus
C) Backup tool
D) Firewall
Answer: A
35. What is ethical hacker also called?
A) Black Hat
B) Script Kiddie
C) White Hat
D) Cracker
Answer: C
Legal & Awareness (36–50)
36. Is ethical hacking legal?
A) Yes, with permission
B) Always illegal
C) Never allowed
D) Only in USA
Answer: A
37. What is a bug bounty program?
A) Government tax
B) Reward for reporting vulnerabilities
C) Antivirus software
D) Firewall tool
Answer: B
38. What is responsible disclosure?
A) Publicly posting vulnerability immediately
B) Informing organization before public disclosure
C) Selling vulnerability
D) Ignoring issue
Answer: B
39. Which organization offers CEH certification?
A) EC-Council
B) NASA
C) FBI
D) WHO
Answer: A
40. CEH stands for?
A) Certified Ethical Hacker
B) Cyber Expert Hacker
C) Computer Ethical Helper
D) Certified Encryption Hacker
Answer: A
41. What is footprinting?
A) Cleaning logs
B) Gathering information about a target
C) Installing OS
D) Deleting files
Answer: B
42. What is reconnaissance?
A) Attack phase
B) Information gathering phase
C) Password cracking
D) Exploitation
Answer: B
43. What is patching?
A) Fixing vulnerabilities
B) Creating malware
C) Blocking IP
D) Scanning ports
Answer: A
44. What is vulnerability scanning?
A) Data deletion
B) Identifying security weaknesses
C) Installing antivirus
D) Blocking firewall
Answer: B
45. Which law protects against unauthorized hacking (example)?
A) Cybercrime laws
B) Traffic laws
C) Tax laws
D) Labor laws
Answer: A
46. What is zero-day vulnerability?
A) Old bug
B) Newly discovered vulnerability with no patch
C) Antivirus
D) Firewall
Answer: B
47. What is log analysis used for?
A) Detect suspicious activity
B) Delete data
C) Hack accounts
D) Increase speed
Answer: A
48. What is multi-factor authentication?
A) Multiple passwords
B) More than two verification factors
C) One-time login
D) Firewall system
Answer: B
49. What is ethical hacker’s main goal?
A) Cause damage
B) Strengthen security
C) Steal data
D) Spread malware
Answer: B
50. What should you always have before testing a system?
A) Fast internet
B) Permission
C) Antivirus
D) VPN
Answer: B
Conclusion
Mastering the basics of ethical hacking starts with understanding core cybersecurity concepts, common attack types, networking fundamentals, and essential security tools. This beginner-friendly quiz is designed to strengthen your foundation and prepare you for real-world security challenges.
If you were able to answer most questions correctly great job! You’re building the mindset of a future ethical hacker. If not, don’t worry. Ethical hacking is a skill that improves with consistent practice, hands-on labs, and continuous learning.
To go further, consider practicing in safe lab environments, exploring tools like Kali Linux, and preparing for certifications such as the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) offered by EC-Council.
Remember:
✅ Always get proper authorization before testing any system.
✅ Stay updated with the latest security trends.
✅ Practice ethical and responsible disclosure.
Ethical hacking isn’t about breaking systems it’s about protecting them. Keep learning, keep practicing, and take the next step toward becoming a cybersecurity professional.
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