Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

Serin, a professional hacker, utilized which type of malware by injecting a backdoor into a target system for gaining administrator-level access?

1. Rootkit trojans

2. Botnet trojans

3. Logic bomb viruses

4. Macro viruses

The correct answer is: Rootkit trojans

The scenario describes the use of a backdoor to obtain administrator-level access to a target system, which aligns directly with the functionality of a rootkit. Rootkit trojans are designed specifically to provide attackers with remote access and control over a system, enabling them to bypass normal authentication methods and hiddenly manipulate system processes. This type of malware can modify the operating system, making it difficult to detect its presence or the modifications it makes to the system. Consequently, the rootkit can allow for persistent access, enabling the hacker to execute commands and manage data at a high privilege level. In contrast, botnet trojans primarily focus on creating large networks of compromised devices to perform actions like distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks rather than providing administrative access directly to individual systems. Logic bombs are triggered by specific conditions rather than providing continuous access, and macro viruses typically exploit software features, like those in word processors, to spread malicious code but don’t inherently provide backdoor access. Thus, the nature of backdoors and their purpose in gaining elevated access distinctly identifies rootkit trojans as the correct choice.