SY0-701 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations. 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.
Exhibit
Network capture summary:
Host 10.20.14.25 sends ARP requests for 10.20.14.1
Multiple ARP replies received:
10.20.14.1 is-at 02:42:ac:11:00:05
10.20.14.1 is-at 02:42:ac:11:00:05
10.20.14.1 is-at 66:77:88:99:aa:bb
Client gateway cache alternates between the legitimate gateway MAC and 66:77:88:99:aa:bb every few seconds.
Users report brief certificate warnings when opening internal sites.
Based on the exhibit, what network attack is most likely occurring on the office LAN?
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.
Network capture summary:
Host 10.20.14.25 sends ARP requests for 10.20.14.1
Multiple ARP replies received:
10.20.14.1 is-at 02:42:ac:11:00:05
10.20.14.1 is-at 02:42:ac:11:00:05
10.20.14.1 is-at 66:77:88:99:aa:bb
Client gateway cache alternates between the legitimate gateway MAC and 66:77:88:99:aa:bb every few seconds.
Users report brief certificate warnings when opening internal sites.
A
ARP poisoning, because a rogue system is sending false layer 2 address mappings.
ARP poisoning is the best answer because the capture shows false ARP replies mapping the gateway IP to a different MAC address. The alternating gateway cache entries and certificate warnings are consistent with traffic being redirected through an attacker in a man-in-the-middle position.
B
Replay attack, because the same ARP reply appears multiple times.
Why wrong: A replay attack typically reuses captured authentication or transaction data. The repeated ARP replies here are not evidence of replayed credentials; they indicate address spoofing on the local network.
C
Denial of service, because users notice certificate warnings.
Why wrong: A DoS attack aims to overwhelm resources and make services unavailable. The exhibit shows traffic redirection and address manipulation, not a flood or outage condition.
D
DNS poisoning, because the users cannot reach internal sites cleanly.
Why wrong: DNS poisoning affects name resolution records, not the ARP cache. The evidence is at layer 2, where an IP address is mapped to the wrong MAC address on the LAN.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
ARP poisoning, because a rogue system is sending false layer 2 address mappings.
ARP poisoning is the correct answer because the exhibit shows a rogue system sending unsolicited ARP replies that map the gateway's IP address to the attacker's MAC address. This causes traffic destined for the gateway to be redirected to the attacker, enabling man-in-the-middle interception. The attack exploits the lack of authentication in ARP, allowing false layer 2 address mappings to corrupt the ARP cache of other hosts on the LAN.
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 poisoning, because a rogue system is sending false layer 2 address mappings.
Why this is correct
ARP poisoning is the best answer because the capture shows false ARP replies mapping the gateway IP to a different MAC address. The alternating gateway cache entries and certificate warnings are consistent with traffic being redirected through an attacker in a man-in-the-middle position.
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.
✗
Replay attack, because the same ARP reply appears multiple times.
Why it's wrong here
A replay attack typically reuses captured authentication or transaction data. The repeated ARP replies here are not evidence of replayed credentials; they indicate address spoofing on the local network.
✗
Denial of service, because users notice certificate warnings.
Why it's wrong here
A DoS attack aims to overwhelm resources and make services unavailable. The exhibit shows traffic redirection and address manipulation, not a flood or outage condition.
✗
DNS poisoning, because the users cannot reach internal sites cleanly.
Why it's wrong here
DNS poisoning affects name resolution records, not the ARP cache. The evidence is at layer 2, where an IP address is mapped to the wrong MAC address on the LAN.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse ARP poisoning with DNS poisoning because both involve false mappings, but ARP poisoning operates at layer 2 (MAC addresses) while DNS poisoning operates at the application layer (domain names), and the exhibit's focus on MAC address mappings clearly points to ARP.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
A DoS attack aims to overwhelm resources and make services unavailable. The exhibit shows traffic redirection and address manipulation, not a flood or outage condition.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ARP poisoning works by sending gratuitous ARP packets that update the ARP cache of target hosts without a prior request. Tools like arpspoof or Ettercap can automate this, and the attack can be mitigated using Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) on managed switches, which validates ARP packets against a trusted DHCP snooping binding database. In a real-world scenario, an attacker could silently intercept all outbound traffic from the LAN, capturing credentials or redirecting users to malicious sites without triggering any alarms.
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 developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — This question tests Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: ARP poisoning, because a rogue system is sending false layer 2 address mappings. — ARP poisoning is the correct answer because the exhibit shows a rogue system sending unsolicited ARP replies that map the gateway's IP address to the attacker's MAC address. This causes traffic destined for the gateway to be redirected to the attacker, enabling man-in-the-middle interception. The attack exploits the lack of authentication in ARP, allowing false layer 2 address mappings to corrupt the ARP cache of other hosts on the LAN.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 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.
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