Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

In which phase of the cyber kill chain does the adversary create a deliverable malicious payload?

1. Delivery

2. Weaponization

3. Exploitation

4. Actions on objectives

The correct answer is: Weaponization

The correct choice is weaponization because this phase involves the creation of a deliverable malicious payload that can be used to exploit a target. During weaponization, the adversary takes advantage of a vulnerability found in a system to develop malware or other malicious tools tailored for the attack. This is a crucial step as it sets the foundation for the subsequent phases of the cyber kill chain by preparing the actual tools that will be delivered to the target during the delivery phase. In contrast, the delivery phase comes after weaponization and focuses on transmitting the malicious payload to the target. The exploitation phase is about executing the attack by leveraging the previously delivered payload to compromise the system. Finally, actions on objectives refer to the post-exploitation activities that the adversary undertakes to achieve their goals, such as data exfiltration or further infiltration.