Quick Answer
The correct answer is SYN flood. This attack exploits the TCP three-way handshake by sending a rapid succession of SYN packets to a target host without ever completing the handshake, leaving the target’s connection table filled with half-open connections until resources are exhausted and legitimate traffic is denied. On the Cisco CyberOps Associate 200-201 exam, this scenario tests your ability to recognize a classic denial-of-service technique by its signature: a flood of SYNs with no corresponding SYN-ACK replies. A common trap is confusing this with a SYN-ACK flood or a ping flood, but the key differentiator is the absence of any reply from the attacker—they never intend to finish the handshake. To remember it, think “SYN sent, never spent”—the attacker sends the SYN but never spends the effort to complete the connection, leaving the victim’s resources stranded.
This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of network intrusion analysis. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An analyst notices a series of SYN packets sent to a host at increasing speed, with no SYN-ACK replies. What kind of attack is this?
SYN flood
SYN flood exploits the TCP handshake by sending many SYN packets.
SSL stripping
Why wrong: SSL stripping downgrades HTTPS to HTTP.
ARP spoofing
Why wrong: ARP spoofing manipulates ARP tables, not SYN packets.
Smurf attack
Why wrong: Smurf uses ICMP echo requests with spoofed source IP.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
SYN flood
A SYN flood attack exploits the TCP three-way handshake by sending a rapid succession of SYN packets to a target host without completing the handshake. The target allocates resources for each half-open connection, eventually exhausting its connection table and denying service to legitimate traffic. The absence of SYN-ACK replies confirms the attacker is not responding to the handshake, a hallmark of this volumetric denial-of-service technique.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
SYN flood
Why this is correct
SYN flood exploits the TCP handshake by sending many SYN packets.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SSL stripping
ARP spoofing
Why it's wrong here
ARP spoofing manipulates ARP tables, not SYN packets.
Smurf attack
Why it's wrong here
Smurf uses ICMP echo requests with spoofed source IP.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between a SYN flood (TCP handshake exhaustion) and a Smurf attack (ICMP broadcast amplification), so candidates mistakenly associate any flood of packets with ICMP-based attacks rather than recognizing the specific TCP SYN behavior described.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, a SYN flood leverages the TCP backlog queue (often limited to a few hundred entries per port) by sending spoofed SYN packets with unreachable source IPs, so the target never receives the final ACK to complete the handshake. Modern mitigations include SYN cookies (RFC 4987), which encode connection state in the SYN-ACK sequence number, allowing the server to avoid resource allocation until the handshake is verified. In real-world scenarios, attackers may use botnets to distribute the flood across thousands of IPs, making source-based filtering ineffective.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
What to study next
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FAQ
Network Intrusion Analysis — This question tests Network Intrusion Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: SYN flood — A SYN flood attack exploits the TCP three-way handshake by sending a rapid succession of SYN packets to a target host without completing the handshake. The target allocates resources for each half-open connection, eventually exhausting its connection table and denying service to legitimate traffic. The absence of SYN-ACK replies confirms the attacker is not responding to the handshake, a hallmark of this volumetric denial-of-service technique.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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.
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