200-201 Security Monitoring Practice Question
During packet analysis, an analyst notices a TCP connection with a large number of SYN packets sent to various ports on a single host but no completed handshakes. This is characteristic of which activity?
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
✓
Port scan reconnaissance
A port scan typically sends SYN packets to multiple ports; responses indicate open ports. The lack of completed handshakes suggests a scan, not an attack.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Port scan reconnaissance
Why this is correct
SYN scans are used to discover open ports.
- ✗
Normal web browsing behavior
Why it's wrong here
Web browsing involves complete handshakes.
- ✗
SYN flood denial-of-service attack
Why it's wrong here
A SYN flood would target a single port and not complete handshakes, but it is a DoS, not reconnaissance.
- ✗
Data exfiltration using FTP
Why it's wrong here
FTP uses ports 20/21 and involves complete connections.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 200-201 question from scratch — 979 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.