200-201 Security Monitoring Practice Question
An analyst is monitoring network traffic and observes a large number of TCP SYN packets sent to a single host on various ports with no corresponding SYN-ACK replies. This behavior is most indicative of which type of attack?
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
✓
SYN flood attack
A SYN flood exploits the TCP three-way handshake by sending many SYN packets without completing the handshake, exhausting resources. The lack of SYN-ACK replies indicates the target is overwhelmed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ARP spoofing
Why it's wrong here
ARP spoofing involves falsified ARP messages, not TCP SYN packets.
- ✗
DNS amplification attack
Why it's wrong here
DNS amplification uses DNS responses with large payloads, not SYN packets.
- ✗
ICMP flood attack
Why it's wrong here
ICMP flood uses ICMP Echo Request packets, not TCP SYN.
- ✓
SYN flood attack
Why this is correct
The scenario matches a SYN flood: many SYN packets, no SYN-ACK replies, indicating resource exhaustion.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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