PT0-002 · Question #190
PT0-002 Question #190: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation
The correct answer is A: echo U3VQZXIkM2NyZXQhCg== | base64 -d. The data 'U3VQZXIkM2NyZXQhCg==' is Base64 encoded, indicated by the trailing '=='. The base64 -d command on Linux is the correct utility to decode this string to its original plaintext.
Question
A penetration tester is conducting a penetration test. The tester obtains a root-level shell on a Linux server and discovers the following data in a file named password.txt in the /home/svsacct directory: U3VQZXIkM2NyZXQhCg== Which of the following commands should the tester use NEXT to decode the contents of the file?
Options
- Aecho U3VQZXIkM2NyZXQhCg== | base64 -d
- Btar zxvf password.txt
- Chydra -l svsacct -p U3VQZXIkM2NyZXQhCg== ssh://192.168.1.0/24
- Djohn --wordlist /usr/share/seclists/rockyou.txt password.txt
Explanation
The data 'U3VQZXIkM2NyZXQhCg==' is Base64 encoded, indicated by the trailing '=='. The base64 -d command on Linux is the correct utility to decode this string to its original plaintext.
Common mistakes.
- B.
taris a utility for archiving and extracting files, typically used for compressed file archives, not for decoding text strings like Base64. - C. Hydra is a network logon cracker used for brute-forcing authentication; it is not designed to decode Base64 strings.
- D. John the Ripper is a password cracking tool that works with hashes, not directly with Base64 encoded strings which need to be decoded first to reveal potential plaintext passwords.
Concept tested. Base64 decoding, Linux command-line utilities
Reference. https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/base64-invocation.html
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