Which of the following terms describes an attempt to transfer DNS zone data?

A DNS zone transfer (AXFR query) is a classic reconnaissance method in which an attacker queries a misconfigured DNS server to retrieve the complete set of DNS records for a domain, exposing hostnames, IP addresses, mail servers, and internal naming conventions. This information-gathering phase directly aids further attack planning by revealing the full topology of a target network before exploitation begins.

Dumpster diving is a physical reconnaissance technique involving searching through discarded documents or media for sensitive information, not a DNS protocol operation.

Spam refers to unsolicited bulk electronic messages and has no relationship to DNS enumeration or zone data retrieval.

Encapsulation is the OSI model process of wrapping data with protocol headers as it descends the stack; it does not describe any form of DNS querying or information gathering.