EC0-350 Practice Test: ECCOUNCIL Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures QuestionsPreparing for the EC0-350 (ECCOUNCIL Certified Ethical Hacker — Practice Test) requires focused study, realistic practice questions, and a strategy that mirrors the structure and rigor of the real exam. This article covers what the EC0-350 exam assesses, how practice tests help, recommended study approaches, sample question types with answers and explanations, and tips to maximize your score.
What is the EC0-350 exam?
The EC0-350 exam evaluates knowledge and practical understanding of ethical hacking techniques, countermeasures, and security best practices. It is designed to test whether a candidate can identify vulnerabilities, use appropriate tools and methodologies, and recommend or implement countermeasures in a lawful, professional context. Domains typically include reconnaissance, scanning and enumeration, system hacking, malware, sniffing, social engineering, denial-of-service, session hijacking, web application attacks, wireless attacks, cryptography, and intrusion detection and prevention.
Why use practice tests?
- Improve familiarity with exam format and timing.
- Identify knowledge gaps and prioritize study topics.
- Build confidence and reduce test anxiety.
- Practice applying concepts in scenario-based questions similar to the real exam.
- Reinforce memory through spaced repetition and active recall.
Use multiple full-length timed practice tests to simulate real exam conditions and track improvement over time.
How to structure your study plan
- Baseline assessment
- Start with a diagnostic practice test to identify strengths and weaknesses.
- Topic-focused study blocks
- Break down study sessions by domain (reconnaissance, web app security, cryptography, etc.). Spend more time on weak domains.
- Hands-on practice
- Use labs (virtual machines, Kali Linux, vulnerable web apps like DVWA, Metasploitable) to practice tools and techniques.
- Regular practice tests
- Take a full-length timed practice test at least weekly in the last month before the exam.
- Review and consolidation
- After each practice test, thoroughly review incorrect answers and understand why the correct answer is right.
- Final review
- In the last 1–2 weeks, focus on high-yield topics, quick reference sheets, and exam-taking strategies.
Key tools and resources to practice with
- Kali Linux (Nmap, Metasploit, Burp Suite, Wireshark)
- Virtual lab platforms (VirtualBox/VMware with intentionally vulnerable images)
- OWASP resources (Top 10, WebGoat, DVWA)
- Capture The Flag (CTF) platforms for practical skill sharpening
- Official ECCOUNCIL study materials and practice exams
Sample practice questions (with answers & explanations)
- Question — Reconnaissance:
Which of the following techniques is considered passive reconnaissance?
A. Port scanning with Nmap
B. Google dorking to find exposed documents
C. Sending spoofed packets to elicit responses
D. Brute-forcing FTP credentials
Answer: B. Google dorking to find exposed documents
Explanation: Passive reconnaissance gathers information without directly interacting with the target system (e.g., public search engines, WHOIS, social media). Nmap scanning and spoofed packets are active techniques.
- Question — Network Scanning:
An administrator notices repeated SYN packets to various ports on a server with no corresponding ACKs. Which scan type is most likely being used by the attacker?
A. TCP Connect scan
B. UDP scan
C. SYN scan (half-open)
D. ACK scan
Answer: C. SYN scan (half-open)
Explanation: SYN scans send SYN packets and analyze responses without completing the TCP handshake, which produces repeated SYNs and often no ACKs.
- Question — Web Application Security:
Which vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate queries between client and server by injecting malicious SQL statements?
A. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
B. SQL Injection (SQLi)
C. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
D. Broken Authentication
Answer: B. SQL Injection (SQLi)
Explanation: SQLi occurs when user input is improperly sanitized and directly included in SQL queries, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary SQL commands.
- Question — Cryptography:
Which property ensures that a message cannot be altered by an attacker without detection?
A. Confidentiality
B. Integrity
C. Availability
D. Non-repudiation
Answer: B. Integrity
Explanation: Integrity ensures that data remains unmodified; mechanisms include hashes and MACs.
- Question — Malware:
A reverse shell differs from a bind shell because:
A. A reverse shell listens for incoming connections from the attacker.
B. A bind shell initiates a connection to the attacker.
C. A reverse shell initiates a connection back to the attacker’s system.
D. Both are the same.
Answer: C. A reverse shell initiates a connection back to the attacker’s system.
Explanation: Reverse shells have the compromised host connect out to the attacker (useful to bypass inbound firewall rules), while bind shells listen for attacker connections.
Practice test-taking strategies
- Read each question fully before answering; watch for qualifiers like “most likely” or “first step.”
- Eliminate clearly wrong options to improve guessing odds.
- Time management: allocate time per question and flag difficult ones to review if time remains.
- For scenario questions, map the scenario steps and choose the answer that aligns with standard methodology or best practice.
- Keep notes on recurring weak topics and revisit them between practice tests.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Overreliance on memorization: focus on understanding concepts and how to apply them.
- Skipping hands-on labs: theoretical knowledge without practice is often insufficient.
- Ignoring exam objectives: map every study activity to EC0-350 exam domains and weight your study accordingly.
- Poor time management during practice: simulate timed conditions to build endurance.
Building a final-week review checklist
- Review and memorize key tools and their primary uses (Nmap, Metasploit, Burp Suite, Wireshark).
- Revisit exploits and payload types (reverse vs. bind shells, common malware families).
- Refresh cryptography basics (symmetric vs. asymmetric, hashing, digital signatures).
- Practice web app attacks focusing on OWASP Top 10.
- Run at least two full-length timed practice tests and review mistakes in detail.
Sample study schedule (8 weeks)
Week 1: Diagnostic test, reconnaissance, footprinting
Week 2: Scanning, enumeration, network mapping
Week 3: System hacking (privilege escalation, password attacks)
Week 4: Malware, sniffing, session hijacking
Week 5: Web application security, OWASP Top 10
Week 6: Wireless security, social engineering, DoS attacks
Week 7: Cryptography, IDS/IPS, forensics basics
Week 8: Full practice exams, targeted revision, weak-topic remediation
Final thoughts
A disciplined combination of conceptual study, hands-on practice, and regular, realistic practice tests is the most effective way to prepare for the EC0-350 exam. Use practice questions not just to test recall but to strengthen problem-solving and tool proficiency — that’s what the real exam rewards.
If you want, I can: generate a full 100-question practice test, create timed mock exams, or build targeted question sets for specific domains. Which would you like next?
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