Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A firewall analyst reviews logs and sees one external IP address sending connection attempts to TCP ports 22, 80, 139, 445, and 3389 on dozens of internal hosts every few seconds. No payloads are delivered and no sessions are established. What is the most likely activity?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Port scanning, because the source is systematically probing many ports and hosts for exposed services.
This is a classic port scanning pattern. The attacker is checking multiple ports across many systems with short, repeated attempts and no real session establishment. That behavior is consistent with reconnaissance before exploitation.
B
Distractor review
Reflection-based denial-of-service, because the attacker is using third-party systems to amplify traffic.
Reflection attacks typically involve spoofed traffic and amplification from intermediaries. The logs here show direct probing attempts, not a flood from reflected sources.
C
Distractor review
Man-in-the-middle, because the attacker is intercepting communications between internal hosts.
A man-in-the-middle attack intercepts or alters active communications. The observed evidence is connection attempts, not interception of established sessions.
D
Distractor review
Protocol abuse, because the attacker is sending malformed traffic to crash services.
Protocol abuse usually means exploiting protocol weaknesses or malformed requests. The scenario does not show malformed packets or service crashes, only broad scanning behavior.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Related practice questions
Related SY0-701 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Security+ social engineering questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ social engineering questions.
Security+ cryptography practice questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ cryptography.
Security+ IAM questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ IAM questions.
Security+ risk management questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ risk management questions.
Security+ incident response questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ incident response questions.
Security+ malware questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ malware questions.
Security+ vulnerability management questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ vulnerability management questions.
Security+ security operations questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ security operations questions.
Security+ zero trust questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ zero trust questions.
Security+ authentication factors questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ authentication factors questions.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A laptop is suspected of being used in a malware incident. It is still powered on and connected to Wi-Fi. What should the responder do before shutting it down?
Question 2
An employee reports a ransomware note on a file server. The server is still powered on, shares are still being accessed, and management wants service restored as quickly as possible. What should the incident response team do first?
Question 3
An employee reports a ransomware note on a finance laptop. The laptop is still powered on, connected to Wi-Fi, and the user says they were just working in a spreadsheet. Management wants the fastest safe response that also preserves evidence. What should the responder do first?
Question 4
You are handed a company laptop suspected in an insider theft case. Legal says the evidence may be needed in court. Which action best preserves admissibility?
Question 5
A developer wants to reduce the risk of SQL injection in a new customer search form. Which two changes are the best mitigations? Select two.
Question 6
A branch office uses a flat LAN, and a compromise on one user workstation could spread quickly to finance systems. Management wants finance workstations isolated from general users, but finance staff still need access to a central finance application and network printer. What is the best design change?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Port scanning, because the source is systematically probing many ports and hosts for exposed services. — The activity is port scanning. The source is methodically testing multiple common service ports across many hosts, which is typical reconnaissance before a broader attack. The lack of payloads or established sessions further supports that this is discovery rather than exploitation or denial-of-service. Security teams often use this pattern to trigger alerts and begin source attribution or blocking. Why others are wrong: Reflection DoS requires amplified traffic through third parties, not simple probing. Man-in-the-middle attacks happen during active communication interception. Protocol abuse would usually include malformed or protocol-specific malicious messages, not just repeated connection attempts to many ports and hosts.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
Discussion
Loading comments…
Sign in to join the discussion.