What is the primary purpose of port scanning in a penetration test?

• A. To identify open ports and services, determine attack surfaces, and map network topology.
• B. To exploit vulnerabilities directly.
• C. To erase logs.
• D. To encrypt traffic.

Answer: (C)

Port scanning is all about uncovering what is exposed on a network. It helps you identify which ports are open on target systems, what services are listening on those ports, and by doing so, you map out the attack surface and the overall network topology. This information is essential for planning a penetration test because it shows where an attacker could potentially gain access and which hosts and services to study further.

Exploitation is a later step that uses found vulnerabilities to gain access, not the discovery itself. Erasing logs is about evading detection and is not part of identifying entry points. Encrypting traffic is about protecting data in transit, not about discovering exposed services.