Cisco Cyber Security Practice Exam

What kind of attack overloads a network service by flooding it with excessive traffic?

1. DDoS Attack

2. SQL Injection

3. Man-in-the-Middle Attack

4. Phishing Attack

The correct answer is: DDoS Attack

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is characterized by overwhelming a network service with an excessive volume of traffic originating from multiple sources. This type of attack leverages a network of compromised devices, often referred to as a botnet, which can generate a flood of requests to a target server, saturating its resources and rendering it unable to respond to legitimate user requests. The goal of a DDoS attack is to make a service unavailable, which can lead to significant downtime and loss of service for users. In contrast, SQL injection attacks specifically target database-driven applications by injecting malicious SQL statements, while man-in-the-middle attacks focus on intercepting communications between two parties without their knowledge. Phishing attacks involve tricking users into providing sensitive information through deceptive messaging. Each of these methods operates differently and targets various aspects of security, affecting application integrity, confidentiality, or user trust rather than intentionally flooding a service with traffic.