- A
Smurf attack
A Smurf attack uses ICMP echo requests to the broadcast address with a spoofed source IP to generate a flood of replies to the victim.
- B
Fraggle attack
Why wrong: A Fraggle attack is similar but uses UDP echo packets (port 7) instead of ICMP.
- C
Ping flood
Why wrong: A ping flood is a direct DoS sending many ICMP packets to the victim from one or many sources, not using broadcast amplification.
- D
ARP poisoning
Why wrong: ARP poisoning involves sending forged ARP packets to manipulate the IP-to-MAC mappings, not ICMP floods.
Question 379 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.
An attacker sends ICMP echo request packets to the broadcast address of a network, with the source IP address spoofed to be the target's IP address. This causes all hosts on the network to send ICMP echo replies to the target, overwhelming it. Which type of attack is this?
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
✓
Smurf attack
This is a classic Smurf attack, which exploits ICMP by sending echo request packets to the network's broadcast address with the source IP spoofed as the target. All hosts on the network receive the request and reply to the spoofed source, flooding the target with ICMP echo replies and consuming its bandwidth or resources.
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.
- ✓
Smurf attack
Why this is correct
A Smurf attack uses ICMP echo requests to the broadcast address with a spoofed source IP to generate a flood of replies to the victim.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Fraggle attack
- ✗
Ping flood
Why it's wrong here
A ping flood is a direct DoS sending many ICMP packets to the victim from one or many sources, not using broadcast amplification.
When this WOULD be correct
A ping flood would be correct if the question described an attacker sending a large number of ICMP echo requests directly to a target host from a single source (or multiple sources without amplification), overwhelming its network bandwidth or processing capacity.
- ✗
ARP poisoning
Why it's wrong here
ARP poisoning involves sending forged ARP packets to manipulate the IP-to-MAC mappings, not ICMP floods.
When this WOULD be correct
An exam question describing an attacker sending forged ARP replies to associate their MAC address with the default gateway's IP, causing traffic interception or man-in-the-middle attacks.
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.
✓Smurf attackCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
A Smurf attack uses ICMP echo requests to the broadcast address with a spoofed source IP to generate a flood of replies to the victim.
✗Fraggle attackWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The Fraggle attack uses UDP echo packets (typically to port 7 or 19) instead of ICMP echo requests, so the description of ICMP packets makes this incorrect.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question describing an attacker sending spoofed UDP packets to the broadcast address, causing hosts to reply to the target, would have Fraggle as the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Smurf (ICMP) and Fraggle (UDP) because both are broadcast amplification attacks with similar mechanisms.
✗Ping floodWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A ping flood typically involves sending a high volume of ICMP echo request packets directly to a single target, not using a broadcast address to amplify traffic from multiple hosts.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A ping flood would be correct if the question described an attacker sending a large number of ICMP echo requests directly to a target host from a single source (or multiple sources without amplification), overwhelming its network bandwidth or processing capacity.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the use of ICMP echo requests in both attacks, and the term 'flood' suggests overwhelming traffic, but they miss the amplification mechanism via broadcast address that distinguishes a smurf attack.
✗ARP poisoningWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
ARP poisoning involves manipulating ARP tables to intercept traffic, not flooding a target with ICMP replies via broadcast amplification.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An exam question describing an attacker sending forged ARP replies to associate their MAC address with the default gateway's IP, causing traffic interception or man-in-the-middle attacks.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse network-layer attacks, thinking ARP poisoning can also cause denial of service by flooding, but it primarily targets data interception.
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
CompTIA often tests the distinction between Smurf (ICMP) and Fraggle (UDP) attacks, so candidates mistakenly choose Fraggle when they see 'broadcast' and 'spoofed source' without noting the protocol used.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
A Fraggle attack is similar but uses UDP echo packets (port 7) instead of ICMP.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Smurf attack relies on directed broadcast forwarding, which was enabled by default in many routers until RFC 2644 deprecated it. The amplification factor is roughly the number of hosts on the subnet; for example, a /24 network with 254 hosts can generate 254 replies for each spoofed request. Modern networks mitigate this by disabling IP directed broadcasts on routers and using ingress filtering to block spoofed source addresses.
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 network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
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: Smurf attack — This is a classic Smurf attack, which exploits ICMP by sending echo request packets to the network's broadcast address with the source IP spoofed as the target. All hosts on the network receive the request and reply to the spoofed source, flooding the target with ICMP echo replies and consuming its bandwidth or resources.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This N10-009 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 N10-009 exam.
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