CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-002) — Question 222

While performing the scanning phase of a penetration test, the penetration tester runs the following command:

nmap -n -vv -sV -p- 10.10.10.23-28

After the Nmap scan is finished, the penetration tester notices all hosts seem to be down. Which of the following options should the penetration tester try NEXT?

Answer options

• A. -sU
• B. -Pn
• C. -sn
• D. -sS

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is -Pn, which instructs Nmap to skip host discovery and treat all specified hosts as online. The other options either initiate different scan types (-sU for UDP, -sS for TCP SYN scan) or perform a ping scan (-sn) that would not help if the hosts are indeed unresponsive.