An ethical hacker is gathering information about a target company using WHOIS databases and public records. What type of footprinting is this?

Question

Options

• AActive Footprinting
• BAggressive Footprinting
• CPassive Footprinting
• DSocial Engineering

• B
  4% (1)
• C
  92% (24)
• D
  4% (1)

Explanation

Passive footprinting (C) is correct because the hacker is collecting information without directly interacting with the target - WHOIS databases and public records are third-party sources that the target never knows were queried. No packets are sent to the target, so there's zero detection risk.

• A (Active Footprinting) is wrong because active footprinting involves directly engaging with the target system - things like port scanning, ping sweeps, or DNS zone transfers that can trigger IDS alerts.
• B (Aggressive Footprinting) is not a standard CEH/security certification term; it's a distractor designed to sound plausible.
• D (Social Engineering) is wrong because that involves manipulating people to extract information, not querying public databases.

Memory tip: Think "passive = no packets to the target." If the target could theoretically see your IP in their logs, it's active. If you're reading publicly available data from a third party (WHOIS, Google, LinkedIn), it's passive.

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