- A
ARP spoofing
Why wrong: ARP spoofing involves associating a malicious MAC address with a trusted IP to intercept traffic, not to overwhelm a server with requests.
- B
SYN flood
Why wrong: A SYN flood sends incomplete TCP handshake requests, not full HTTP GET requests. The description indicates completed connections.
- C
DDoS attack
A distributed denial-of-service attack uses many sources to send legitimate-looking requests to overload the server.
- D
DNS amplification
Why wrong: DNS amplification uses small queries to generate large responses sent to a victim, typically using UDP, not HTTP requests.
Question 18 of 520
N10-009 Network Security Practice Question
This N10-009 practice question tests your understanding of network security. 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.
A security engineer notices that the company's web server is receiving an overwhelming number of HTTP GET requests from thousands of different IP addresses around the world. The requests are for legitimate pages and are well-formed. The server is becoming unresponsive. Which type of attack is most likely occurring?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
✓
DDoS attack
The attack involves a high volume of legitimate HTTP GET requests from many distinct IP addresses, overwhelming the web server. This is a classic distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, where multiple compromised systems (a botnet) coordinate to flood the target with traffic, exhausting server resources and causing unresponsiveness. The key indicators are the distributed source IPs and the use of application-layer (HTTP) requests, which distinguishes it from network-layer floods.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 associating a malicious MAC address with a trusted IP to intercept traffic, not to overwhelm a server with requests.
When this WOULD be correct
A question describing a scenario where an attacker on the same subnet intercepts traffic between a client and server by sending forged ARP messages, causing the server to receive unexpected traffic or become unresponsive.
- ✗
SYN flood
- ✓
DDoS attack
Why this is correct
A distributed denial-of-service attack uses many sources to send legitimate-looking requests to overload the server.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
DNS amplification
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The N10-009 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓DDoS attackCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
A distributed denial-of-service attack uses many sources to send legitimate-looking requests to overload the server.
✗ARP spoofingWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
ARP spoofing operates at Layer 2 and targets local network communications, not a web server receiving HTTP requests from thousands of global IP addresses.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question describing a scenario where an attacker on the same subnet intercepts traffic between a client and server by sending forged ARP messages, causing the server to receive unexpected traffic or become unresponsive.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse any network-based attack with ARP spoofing, or mistakenly think that overwhelming a server can be achieved via ARP manipulation.
✗SYN floodWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A SYN flood targets the TCP handshake by sending many SYN packets without completing the handshake, but this question specifies HTTP GET requests, which are application-layer and fully formed, not incomplete TCP connections.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A SYN flood would be correct if the question described a server overwhelmed by a high volume of incomplete TCP connection requests (SYN packets) from spoofed IPs, causing the connection table to fill and legitimate connections to be refused.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates often confuse any network-based denial-of-service attack with a SYN flood because SYN floods are a common DoS technique, but they overlook that the attack here uses complete HTTP requests, not half-open TCP connections.
✗DNS amplificationWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
DNS amplification attacks use reflection off open DNS resolvers to flood a target with amplified responses, not direct HTTP GET requests from many IPs. The question describes well-formed HTTP requests from diverse IPs, which is a classic DDoS, not a DNS-based attack.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question describing a server receiving a high volume of large DNS response packets from many different IPs, where the attacker spoofs the victim's IP as the source of small DNS queries to open resolvers, would make DNS amplification the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse any large-scale distributed attack with DNS amplification because both involve many sources, but they overlook that DNS amplification relies on UDP reflection and amplified responses, not direct HTTP requests.
Analysis generated from the official N10-009blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse a SYN flood (a TCP-level attack) with a DDoS attack that uses complete HTTP requests, but the question explicitly states the requests are 'well-formed' and for 'legitimate pages,' ruling out incomplete handshake attacks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a DDoS attack, the attacker typically controls a botnet of compromised devices (e.g., IoT cameras, home routers) that each send legitimate-looking HTTP requests. The server's connection pool, thread pool, or application logic becomes saturated, causing denial of service even though each individual request is valid. Mitigation often involves rate limiting, web application firewalls (WAFs), or CDN-based scrubbing centers that filter traffic based on behavioral analysis.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the N10-009 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Quick reference
IPv4 Address Class Summary
| Class | First Octet Range | Default Mask | Networks | Hosts per Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–126 | /8 (255.0.0.0) | 126 | 16,777,214 |
| B | 128–191 | /16 (255.255.0.0) | 16,384 | 65,534 |
| C | 192–223 | /24 (255.255.255.0) | 2,097,152 | 254 |
| D | 224–239 | N/A | Multicast groups | — |
| E | 240–255 | N/A | Reserved / experimental | — |
127.x.x.x is reserved for loopback. Modern networks use CIDR (classless) rather than classful addressing.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this N10-009 question test?
Network Security — This question tests Network Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: DDoS attack — The attack involves a high volume of legitimate HTTP GET requests from many distinct IP addresses, overwhelming the web server. This is a classic distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, where multiple compromised systems (a botnet) coordinate to flood the target with traffic, exhausting server resources and causing unresponsiveness. The key indicators are the distributed source IPs and the use of application-layer (HTTP) requests, which distinguishes it from network-layer floods.
What should I do if I get this N10-009 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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