What term describes a connection initiated from a compromised host back to the attacker, bypassing inbound firewall rules?

• A. SSH Tunnels
• B. VPN
• C. Reverse Shells
• D. Port Forwarding

Answer: (C)

A reverse shell describes a connection where the compromised host reaches out to the attacker and provides a shell over that outbound channel. This bypasses inbound firewall rules because outbound connections from the inside are usually allowed, while unsolicited inbound connections are blocked. The attacker listens for the incoming connection and, once established, can issue commands through the shell on the victim’s machine.

SSH tunnels and port forwarding involve redirecting traffic through an existing path or session, not primarily about the victim initiating a shell back to the attacker. A VPN creates a secure, broader connection between networks rather than a direct remote shell.