200-201 Security Monitoring Practice Question
In the OSI model, which layer is primarily targeted by a SYN flood attack?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between the Transport Layer (Layer 4) and the Network Layer (Layer 3), where candidates mistakenly associate IP spoofing (a Layer 3 technique) with the attack's target layer, rather than recognizing that the attack exploits TCP's stateful handshake at Layer 4.
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
✓
Transport Layer (Layer 4)
A SYN flood attack targets the Transport Layer (Layer 4) by exploiting the TCP three-way handshake. The attacker sends a high volume of SYN packets with spoofed source IP addresses, causing the target server to allocate resources for half-open connections that never complete, eventually exhausting its connection queue and denying service to legitimate users.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Network Layer (Layer 3)
Why it's wrong here
Network layer deals with IP addressing and routing.
- ✗
Application Layer (Layer 7)
Why it's wrong here
Application layer includes protocols like HTTP.
- ✓
Transport Layer (Layer 4)
Why this is correct
TCP is at Layer 4; SYN flood targets TCP connections.
- ✗
Data Link Layer (Layer 2)
Why it's wrong here
Data link layer handles MAC addresses and frames.
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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.