Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A web service begins experiencing severe latency. Netflow shows thousands of short DNS queries leaving the attacker network, while a much larger volume of DNS responses is arriving at the victim’s public IP address from many open resolvers. Which attack is most likely occurring?
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
Distractor review
Replay attack using previously captured packets
Replay attacks resend previously valid traffic to trick a system into accepting an old authentication or transaction. They do not normally produce a large burst of unrelated DNS responses from third-party resolvers.
B
Best answer
DNS reflection and amplification denial-of-service attack
This is the best match. The attacker sends small DNS requests that cause open resolvers to send much larger responses to the victim's IP address. Because the victim receives the responses, the attack uses reflection; because the responses are much larger than the requests, it also uses amplification. The result is bandwidth exhaustion and severe latency, which are common symptoms of a volumetric DDoS attack.
C
Distractor review
ARP poisoning that redirects local traffic on a LAN
ARP poisoning affects Layer 2 traffic within a local broadcast domain, usually to intercept or redirect traffic on the same LAN. It does not explain Internet-scale DNS responses arriving from many open resolvers.
D
Distractor review
Session hijacking through stolen authentication cookies
Session hijacking focuses on taking over an authenticated user session. It does not create a pattern of small outbound DNS queries followed by a much larger inbound flood of DNS responses from third-party servers.
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.
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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: DNS reflection and amplification denial-of-service attack — The correct answer is DNS reflection and amplification denial-of-service attack. The key clue is the mismatch between the small DNS requests and the much larger DNS responses. In a reflection attack, the attacker spoofs the victim's address so that open DNS resolvers send replies to the victim. In an amplification attack, the response is much larger than the request, multiplying the traffic volume and overwhelming the target. This pattern is a classic volumetric DDoS technique. Why others are wrong: Replay attacks reuse previously captured traffic and are typically associated with authentication or transaction abuse, not resolver-based traffic flooding. ARP poisoning is limited to a local Layer 2 network and would not involve many public DNS resolvers or Internet-scale response traffic. Session hijacking takes over an existing user session and does not match the observed DNS query-and-response amplification pattern.
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.
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