200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
A company's web server is overwhelmed by traffic from multiple compromised systems, causing it to become unresponsive to legitimate users. Which type of attack is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between DoS and DDoS by including the phrase 'multiple compromised systems' as the key differentiator, and the trap here is that candidates may confuse the attack type (DDoS) with the infrastructure used to execute it (botnet).
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
DDoS
(DDoS) because the scenario describes a distributed denial-of-service attack: traffic originates from multiple compromised systems (a botnet) to overwhelm the web server. A DDoS attack is a subtype of DoS that specifically uses multiple sources, making it harder to mitigate than a single-source DoS. The key clue is 'multiple compromised systems,' which directly maps to the distributed nature of a DDoS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
MitM
Why it's wrong here
MitM intercepts communications, not overloads servers.
- ✗
DoS
Why it's wrong here
DoS typically originates from a single source, not multiple systems.
- ✗
Botnet
Why it's wrong here
Botnet is the network of compromised systems used in DDoS, but the attack itself is DDoS.
- ✓
DDoS
Why this is correct
DDoS uses many sources to launch the attack.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.