[2024] Top Real Scenario based CEH Interview Questions & Answers

1. Question: A company suspects that an employee is leaking sensitive information. How would you investigate this scenario from an ethical hacking perspective?

Answer: I would start by conducting a thorough audit of the employee's digital activities, including network logs, email communications, and file access history. Using forensic tools, I would gather evidence to support or refute the suspicion.

2. Question: Describe a scenario where social engineering was used successfully to gain unauthorized access to a system. How would you prevent such attacks?

Answer: One common scenario involves a hacker posing as an IT technician to trick employees into revealing their login credentials. To prevent such attacks, regular security awareness training for employees, implementing multi-factor authentication, and strict access controls are essential.

3. Question: In a penetration testing scenario, you discover a critical vulnerability in a web application. How would you responsibly disclose this vulnerability to the organization?

Answer: I would first document the vulnerability with clear steps to reproduce it. Then, I would contact the organization's security team or designated contact, providing them with the details and suggesting mitigation measures.

4. Question: A client wants to secure their wireless network. What steps would you recommend to enhance the security of their Wi-Fi infrastructure? 

Answer: I would advise them to use strong encryption protocols like WPA3, change default SSIDs and passwords regularly, enable MAC address filtering, and set up a guest network separate from the main network.

5. Question: During a security audit, you find outdated software with known vulnerabilities on several systems. How would you prioritize patching these vulnerabilities?

Answer: I would prioritize patching based on the severity of the vulnerabilities and the criticality of the systems. Critical vulnerabilities on systems directly exposed to the internet would be patched first, followed by high and medium-severity vulnerabilities.

6. Question: Explain the concept of privilege escalation in the context of cybersecurity.

Answer: Privilege escalation refers to the process of gaining higher levels of access or privileges than originally intended. Hackers often exploit vulnerabilities to escalate their privileges, allowing them to access sensitive data or perform unauthorized actions.

7. Question: What are the steps involved in conducting a security risk assessment for an organization?

Answer: The steps typically include identifying assets and their values, assessing threats and vulnerabilities, calculating risks, prioritizing mitigation strategies, implementing controls, and regularly reviewing and updating the risk assessment.

8. Question: Describe a scenario where a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack disrupted a company's operations. How would you mitigate such attacks?

Answer: In such a scenario, I would recommend implementing DDoS mitigation tools and services, setting up rate limiting and traffic filtering, using content delivery networks (CDNs) for traffic distribution, and having a robust incident response plan.

9. Question: How would you secure sensitive data stored in a cloud environment?

Answer: I would recommend encrypting data both in transit and at rest, using strong access controls and authentication mechanisms, regularly auditing access logs, and ensuring compliance with relevant data protection regulations.

10. Question: A company suspects insider threats. What strategies would you suggest to detect and prevent insider attacks?

Answer: Implementing user behavior analytics tools to monitor anomalous activities, conducting regular access reviews, implementing role-based access controls, and fostering a culture of security awareness and reporting can help detect and prevent insider threats.

11. Question: A company's website was defaced by a hacker. How would you investigate and remediate this incident? 

Answer: I would start by taking screenshots and preserving logs of the defacement. Then, I would analyze the logs to identify the entry point of the attack, patch any vulnerabilities, restore the website from backups, and implement additional security measures like web application firewalls.

12. Question: Describe a scenario where SQL injection was used to compromise a database. How would you prevent such attacks? 

Answer: In this scenario, attackers exploit SQL injection vulnerabilities in web applications to execute malicious SQL commands and gain unauthorized access to the database. To prevent such attacks, input validation, parameterized queries, and regularly updating and patching software are crucial.

13. Question: An organization's employees frequently use public Wi-Fi networks. What security measures would you recommend to protect their devices and data? 

Answer: I would advise using virtual private networks (VPNs) for secure connections, disabling automatic Wi-Fi connections to unknown networks, enabling firewall protections, and educating employees about the risks of using public Wi-Fi.

14. Question: How would you approach securing Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a corporate environment? 

Answer: I would recommend segmenting IoT devices on separate networks, disabling unnecessary features and services, applying firmware updates regularly, using strong authentication mechanisms, and monitoring IoT device traffic for anomalies.

15. Question: During a vulnerability assessment, you discover a system with default credentials. How would you remediate this security issue?

Answer: I would immediately change the default credentials to strong, unique passwords, disable default accounts if possible, and implement policies to ensure that default credentials are never used in production environments.

16. Question: Explain the concept of a zero-day exploit and how organizations can defend against such attacks. 

Answer: A zero-day exploit is a cyberattack that targets vulnerabilities unknown to the software vendor or security community. To defend against such attacks, organizations should implement intrusion detection systems, conduct regular security audits, and stay informed about emerging threats and patches.

17. Question: A company's email server was compromised, leading to data leaks. How would you secure email communications to prevent such incidents? 

Answer: I would recommend implementing email encryption using protocols like S/MIME or PGP, enabling SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for email authentication, training employees on identifying phishing attempts, and regularly updating email server software.

18. Question: Describe a scenario where a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack was successfully executed. How would you mitigate MITM attacks?

Answer: In a MITM attack, an attacker intercepts and modifies communication between two parties without their knowledge. To mitigate such attacks, organizations can use encryption, digital certificates, secure VPNs, and monitor network traffic for anomalies.

19. Question: How would you assess the security posture of a third-party vendor before integrating their services into an organization's infrastructure?

Answer: I would conduct thorough security assessments, including vulnerability scans, penetration testing, and reviewing their security policies and compliance certifications. Additionally, I would ensure that the vendor follows secure coding practices and has incident response protocols in place.

20. Question: An organization wants to implement a secure password policy. What key elements would you include in this policy? 

Answer: I would include elements such as minimum password length, complexity requirements (including uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters), regular password expiration and updates, prohibition of password reuse, and implementing multi-factor authentication for critical systems.

21. Question: A company suspects that its network has been infiltrated by advanced persistent threats (APTs). How would you conduct a threat hunting operation to identify and mitigate these threats? 

Answer: I would start by analyzing network traffic logs, looking for suspicious patterns or anomalies. Utilizing threat intelligence feeds, I would search for indicators of compromise (IoCs) and conduct deep packet inspections to identify APT activity. Implementing endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools can also aid in threat hunting.

22. Question: Describe a scenario where a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack was used to compromise a web application. How would you defend against XSS attacks? 

Answer: In an XSS attack, attackers inject malicious scripts into web pages, which are then executed by unsuspecting users' browsers. To defend against XSS attacks, organizations should implement input validation, output encoding, HTTP security headers like Content Security Policy (CSP), and conduct regular security audits of web applications.

23. Question: An organization wants to improve its incident response capabilities. What key components would you include in an incident response plan? 

Answer: An incident response plan should include components such as predefined roles and responsibilities, incident detection and classification procedures, communication protocols, containment and eradication steps, forensic analysis procedures, and post-incident lessons learned and documentation.

24. Question: Explain the concept of "least privilege" in the context of access control. How would you implement least privilege principles in an organization? 

Answer: Least privilege means granting users the minimum level of access necessary to perform their job functions and no more. To implement least privilege, organizations should use role-based access control (RBAC), regularly review and update permissions, enforce the principle of least privilege in application development, and provide training on access control best practices.

25. Question: During a security assessment, you discover that a company's physical security measures are inadequate. How would you address these vulnerabilities? 

Answer: I would recommend implementing physical security controls such as access control systems, security cameras, intrusion detection systems (IDS), alarms, security guards, and conducting regular security audits of physical premises to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.

26. Question: Describe a scenario where a phishing attack successfully compromised an organization's sensitive data. How would you educate employees to recognize and report phishing attempts? 

Answer: In a phishing attack, attackers use deceptive emails or messages to trick users into revealing sensitive information or downloading malicious attachments. To educate employees, organizations should conduct regular security awareness training, simulate phishing attacks to test readiness, provide clear guidelines on identifying phishing attempts, and encourage reporting suspicious emails or messages.

27. Question: An organization wants to implement network segmentation for enhanced security. What are the benefits of network segmentation, and how would you design an effective segmentation strategy? 

Answer: Network segmentation helps limit the impact of security breaches by dividing networks into smaller, isolated segments. Benefits include reducing attack surface, containing breaches, and improving network performance. An effective segmentation strategy involves categorizing assets based on sensitivity, implementing firewalls and access controls between segments, and monitoring and logging traffic between segments.

28. Question: How would you conduct a security audit of a mobile application to identify vulnerabilities? 

Answer: I would use mobile application security testing tools to scan for vulnerabilities such as insecure data storage, improper session handling, insecure communication, and code injection. Manual testing techniques like reverse engineering, dynamic analysis, and penetration testing would also be employed to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

29. Question: Describe a scenario where a ransomware attack encrypted critical data in an organization. How would you respond to and recover from such an attack? 

Answer: In a ransomware attack, I would isolate infected systems, disconnect them from the network, and identify the ransomware variant to determine possible decryption methods. I would restore encrypted data from backups, patch vulnerabilities exploited by the ransomware, and implement security measures to prevent future attacks.

30. Question: An organization wants to implement a secure software development lifecycle (SDLC). What key elements would you include in this process? 

Answer: A secure SDLC should include elements such as threat modeling during design, secure coding practices, code review and testing for vulnerabilities, integration of security tools (e.g., static and dynamic analysis tools), security training for developers, and continuous security monitoring post-deployment.

31. Question: A company's internal network experienced a data breach due to a misconfigured firewall. How would you review and enhance firewall configurations to prevent future breaches? 

Answer: I would conduct a thorough review of firewall rules, ensuring that only necessary ports and protocols are open, implementing default-deny policies, logging and monitoring firewall traffic, regularly updating firewall firmware, and conducting penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities.

32. Question: Describe a scenario where a privilege escalation vulnerability was exploited to gain unauthorized access to a system. How would you detect and mitigate privilege escalation attacks? 

Answer: In a privilege escalation attack, attackers exploit vulnerabilities to gain higher levels of access than authorized. To detect and mitigate such attacks, organizations should implement least privilege principles, regularly patch and update systems, monitor user permissions and access logs, and utilize intrusion detection systems (IDS) and endpoint protection platforms (EPPs).

33. Question: An organization wants to implement a secure remote access solution for employees working from home. What security measures would you recommend for remote access? 

Answer: I would recommend implementing virtual private network (VPN) connections with strong encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), secure VPN gateways, network access control (NAC) policies, regular VPN client updates, and security awareness training for remote employees.

34. Question: How would you conduct a vulnerability assessment of a web server to identify and remediate security weaknesses? 

Answer: I would use automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify common vulnerabilities such as outdated software versions, misconfigurations, SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and insecure file uploads. Manual testing techniques like penetration testing and code review would also be used to validate findings and prioritize remediation.

35. Question: Describe a scenario where a brute-force attack was used to compromise a user account. How would you prevent brute-force attacks? 

Answer: In a brute-force attack, attackers attempt multiple login combinations to guess passwords and gain unauthorized access. To prevent such attacks, organizations should implement account lockout policies, use strong and complex passwords, implement rate limiting on login attempts, and monitor login logs for suspicious activity.

36. Question: An organization's data center suffered a power outage, leading to service disruptions. How would you design a resilient infrastructure to mitigate such incidents? 

Answer: I would recommend implementing redundant power sources (e.g., backup generators, uninterruptible power supplies), redundant network connections, disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC) plans, data backups with offsite storage, and regular testing of failover mechanisms.

37. Question: Explain the concept of network sniffing and how it can be used for malicious purposes. How would you detect and prevent network sniffing attacks? 

Answer: Network sniffing involves capturing and analyzing network traffic for monitoring or malicious purposes. Attackers can use sniffing tools to intercept sensitive data like passwords or confidential information. To detect and prevent sniffing attacks, organizations should use encrypted protocols (e.g., HTTPS, SSH), implement network segmentation, use intrusion detection systems (IDS), and regularly monitor network traffic.

38. Question: A company's website experienced a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, causing downtime. How would you mitigate and recover from a DDoS attack? 

Answer: I would mitigate DDoS attacks by using DDoS protection services, implementing rate limiting and traffic filtering, configuring web application firewalls (WAFs), using content delivery networks (CDNs) for traffic distribution, and having a DDoS incident response plan for quick recovery.

39. Question: How would you conduct a post-incident analysis after a security breach to identify root causes and improve security posture? 

Answer: I would gather and analyze incident data, conduct forensic analysis of affected systems, interview involved personnel, review security policies and controls, identify vulnerabilities and gaps in security measures, implement corrective actions, and document lessons learned for future improvements.

40. Question: An organization wants to implement data encryption to protect sensitive information. What encryption techniques and best practices would you recommend? 

Answer: I would recommend using strong encryption algorithms like AES-256 for data at rest and TLS/SSL for data in transit, implementing key management practices, encrypting backups, using hardware security modules (HSMs) for key protection, and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).

41. Question: Describe a scenario where a supply chain attack compromised an organization's systems. How would you prevent and mitigate supply chain attacks? 

Answer: In a supply chain attack, attackers exploit vulnerabilities in third-party suppliers or vendors to gain access to the target organization's systems. To prevent such attacks, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of suppliers, implement supply chain risk management practices, monitor third-party access, and establish contractual security requirements.

42. Question: An organization's executives received spear phishing emails containing malicious attachments. How would you enhance email security to prevent spear phishing attacks? 

Answer: I would recommend implementing email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, using email filtering and anti-phishing tools, conducting security awareness training for employees, enabling email content scanning for malicious attachments, and implementing sandboxing for suspicious emails.

43. Question: Explain the concept of "defense in depth" and how it applies to cybersecurity strategies. 

Answer: Defense in depth is a security strategy that involves layering multiple security controls and measures to protect against various types of threats. This includes network segmentation, firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), encryption, access controls, regular security audits, and employee training.

44. Question: A company wants to implement a security incident response team (SIRT). What roles and responsibilities would you assign to the SIRT members? 

Answer: SIRT members' roles and responsibilities may include incident detection and classification, incident response coordination, forensic analysis, communication with stakeholders, implementing containment and eradication measures, post-incident reporting, and continuous improvement of incident response processes.

45. Question: Describe a scenario where a watering hole attack targeted employees visiting a legitimate website. How would you defend against watering hole attacks? 

Answer: In a watering hole attack, attackers compromise a legitimate website frequented by target users to distribute malware. To defend against such attacks, organizations should use web filtering and URL categorization tools, keep software and plugins updated, use endpoint protection with web threat detection, and conduct regular security awareness training.

46. Question: An organization's data center experienced a physical break-in, leading to theft of servers. How would you enhance physical security measures to prevent such incidents? 

Answer: I would recommend implementing access control systems with biometric authentication, surveillance cameras and alarms, security guards, perimeter fencing, visitor logging and verification procedures, secure server racks with locks, and regular security audits of physical premises.

47. Question: How would you conduct a security assessment of a cloud infrastructure to identify and mitigate risks? 

Answer: I would review cloud provider security documentation and compliance certifications, assess data encryption practices, review access controls and permissions, conduct vulnerability scanning and penetration testing of cloud services, monitor cloud activity logs, and ensure adherence to cloud security best practices.

48. Question: Describe a scenario where a malware infection spread across an organization's network. How would you contain and remediate malware infections? 

Answer: In such a scenario, I would isolate infected systems from the network, conduct malware analysis to identify the type and source of malware, deploy antivirus and anti-malware tools, update signatures and definitions, restore systems from clean backups, and implement security measures to prevent future infections.

49. Question: An organization wants to implement security controls for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. What security measures would you recommend for IoT security? 

Answer: I would recommend implementing network segmentation for IoT devices, using strong authentication mechanisms (e.g., certificates), encrypting IoT device communications, regularly updating firmware and patches, monitoring IoT device traffic for anomalies, and conducting IoT security audits.

50. Question: How would you educate employees about cybersecurity best practices and create a security-aware culture within an organization? 

Answer: I would conduct regular security awareness training sessions covering topics such as phishing awareness, password security, secure use of devices and applications, data protection practices, incident reporting procedures, and compliance with security policies. Additionally, I would promote security awareness campaigns, provide resources and guidelines, and recognize and reward security-conscious behavior.