Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) — Question 75

While doing a technical assessment to determine network vulnerabilities, you used the TCP XMAS scan. What would be the response of all open ports?

Answer options

• A. The port will send an ACK
• B. The port will send a SYN
• C. The port will ignore the packets
• D. The port will send an RST

Correct answer: C

Explanation

In a TCP XMAS scan, open ports do not respond to the unusual packets sent, effectively ignoring them. This behavior distinguishes open ports from closed ports, which would send an RST in response. Thus, options A, B, and D are incorrect as they describe responses that do not occur with open ports during a TCP XMAS scan.