Cisco Cyber Security Practice Exam

A system compromised via an attacker monitoring Wi-Fi traffic is known as what?

1. A man-in-the-middle attack

2. An evil twin attack

3. A phishing attack

4. A denial of service attack

The correct answer is: An evil twin attack

In this context, the term that best describes a system compromised through an attacker monitoring Wi-Fi traffic is an evil twin attack. This type of attack occurs when a malicious actor sets up a rogue Wi-Fi access point that mimics a legitimate one, tricking users into connecting to it. Once connected, the attacker can intercept sensitive data and monitor the users' online activities, effectively capturing traffic that would otherwise be protected. The evil twin attack exploits the inherent trust users have in familiar Wi-Fi networks, allowing the attacker to access information such as usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data. This makes it particularly dangerous in public spaces where individuals commonly seek out Wi-Fi connections. While a man-in-the-middle attack is related and involves intercepting communication between two parties, it doesn't specifically denote the scenario where the attacker creates a deceptive Wi-Fi access point. Phishing attacks typically involve tricking users into providing personal information via deceptive emails or fake websites rather than monitoring network traffic on a compromised Wi-Fi network. Denial of service attacks focus on overwhelming a network or service to make it unavailable to its intended users, which is not aligned with monitoring or intercepting Wi-Fi traffic. Thus, the evil twin attack is the most accurate term for the scenario described.