Which format is used to organize and describe 32-bit Windows executable file types such as EXE, DLL and ActiveX Controls?

Which format is used to organize and describe 32-bit Windows executable file types such as EXE, DLL and ActiveX Controls?

• A. PEiD
• B. PE Explorer
• C. PE format
• D. IDA

Answer: (C)

Windows uses the Portable Executable format to organize and describe 32-bit executables like EXE, DLL, and ActiveX Controls. The PE format defines the file’s structure, including the DOS stub, the PE signature, the COFF header, the optional header, and the section table, which together describe where code, data, imports, exports, and resources live and how the loader should map the file into memory and locate the entry point. This makes it the correct description for these file types, as they all conform to this container. The other options are tools or utilities, not the file format itself: PEiD detects packers/signatures, PE Explorer analyzes PE files, and IDA is a disassembler/reverse-engineering tool.

Windows uses the Portable Executable format to organize and describe 32-bit executables like EXE, DLL, and ActiveX Controls. The PE format defines the file’s structure, including the DOS stub, the PE signature, the COFF header, the optional header, and the section table, which together describe where code, data, imports, exports, and resources live and how the loader should map the file into memory and locate the entry point. This makes it the correct description for these file types, as they all conform to this container. The other options are tools or utilities, not the file format itself: PEiD detects packers/signatures, PE Explorer analyzes PE files, and IDA is a disassembler/reverse-engineering tool.