200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
A security engineer discovers that an attacker has inserted fake entries into a DNS resolver's cache, redirecting users to a malicious website. Which attack has occurred?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between DNS poisoning and ARP spoofing by presenting a scenario involving redirection to a malicious site, leading candidates to confuse the Layer 2 ARP attack with the Layer 7 DNS cache corruption.
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
✓
DNS poisoning
DNS poisoning, also known as DNS cache poisoning, occurs when an attacker inserts forged DNS resource records into a resolver's cache. This causes the resolver to return a malicious IP address for a legitimate domain, redirecting users to an attacker-controlled site without their knowledge.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
DDoS
Why it's wrong here
DDoS overwhelms services, not redirects traffic.
- ✓
DNS poisoning
Why this is correct
DNS poisoning corrupts the cache to redirect queries.
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Man-in-the-middle
Why it's wrong here
MitM intercepts communications; DNS poisoning is a method.
- ✗
ARP spoofing
Why it's wrong here
ARP spoofing links an attacker's MAC address to a legitimate IP.
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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.