Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH v10) — Question 121

Which of the following describes the characteristics of a Boot Sector Virus?

Answer options

• A. Modifies directory table entries so that directory entries point to the virus code instead of the actual program.
• B. Moves the MBR to another location on the RAM and copies itself to the original location of the MBR.
• C. Moves the MBR to another location on the hard disk and copies itself to the original location of the MBR.
• D. Overwrites the original MBR and only executes the new virus code.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer is C, as a Boot Sector Virus typically moves the Master Boot Record (MBR) to a different location on the hard disk and then places a copy of itself in the original MBR location. Option A describes a behavior that relates to file viruses, while option B refers to RAM manipulation, which is not typical for Boot Sector Viruses. Option D is incorrect because while a Boot Sector Virus can overwrite the MBR, it does not necessarily execute only the new code without maintaining a reference to the original boot process.