CompTIA PenTest+ Practice Test

Which tool was developed as an improvement over Netcat and supports SSL?

1. Ncat

2. Netcat

3. WinDbg

4. OllyDbg

The correct answer is: Ncat

Ncat is an advanced version of the traditional Netcat tool, designed to provide enhanced features, including support for SSL encryption. One of the primary advantages of Ncat over Netcat is its ability to secure data transmissions using SSL, which is critical for protecting sensitive information from interception during network communication. This makes Ncat a more robust choice for penetration testers and network administrators who need to ensure secure data transfer while performing their tasks. While Netcat itself is a versatile tool used for reading from and writing to network connections, it lacks the built-in ability to encrypt data. The other options, WinDbg and OllyDbg, are debuggers primarily used for analyzing and debugging Windows applications and are not focused on network communication. Thus, they do not apply to the context of this question, which specifically seeks a tool that enhances network capabilities over what Netcat offers. Ncat stands out for its additional features, making it a better option in scenarios requiring secure data handling.