Which banner grabbing approach is less likely to alert the target because it does not initiate extra probes?

Which banner grabbing approach is less likely to alert the target because it does not initiate extra probes?

• A. Passive Banner Grabbing
• B. Active Banner Grabbing
• C. DNS Enumeration
• D. Port Scanning

Answer: (A)

Passive banner grabbing relies on observing traffic that’s already flowing rather than sending out new requests. Because you’re not initiating probes, you’re less likely to trigger alerts or be noticed by the target’s monitoring systems. In contrast, active banner grabbing deliberately probes services to elicit banners, which generates extra traffic and increases the chance of detection. DNS enumeration and port scanning are broader discovery techniques that involve active probing, so they’re more likely to be noticed. Therefore, the passive approach is the stealthier option for banner grabbing.

Passive banner grabbing relies on observing traffic that’s already flowing rather than sending out new requests. Because you’re not initiating probes, you’re less likely to trigger alerts or be noticed by the target’s monitoring systems. In contrast, active banner grabbing deliberately probes services to elicit banners, which generates extra traffic and increases the chance of detection. DNS enumeration and port scanning are broader discovery techniques that involve active probing, so they’re more likely to be noticed. Therefore, the passive approach is the stealthier option for banner grabbing.