- A
Brute-force attack
Why wrong: Incorrect. A brute-force attack typically tries many different passwords against a single username to guess the correct one. The scenario uses a single password across multiple usernames, which is not characteristic of brute-force.
- B
Dictionary attack
Why wrong: Incorrect. A dictionary attack uses a list of common passwords against a single account. Here, the attacker uses the same password repeatedly but targets many different accounts, which is not a dictionary attack.
- C
Password spraying attack
Correct. Password spraying involves an attacker trying a small number of commonly used passwords against many different accounts to avoid lockout and evade detection. The use of a single password against many usernames exactly matches this technique.
- D
Man-in-the-middle attack
Why wrong: Incorrect. A man-in-the-middle attack involves an attacker intercepting and potentially altering communications between two parties. The log entries show direct connection attempts, not intercepted traffic.
Quick Answer
The answer is a password spraying attack. This is correct because the attacker used a single common password, 'Spring2024!', against multiple usernames across different internal IP addresses, spreading the attempts sporadically over 12 hours to avoid triggering account lockout thresholds. In contrast, a brute force attack would focus many passwords against a single account in rapid succession. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish password spraying from brute force attacks by analyzing log patterns—specifically, the ratio of usernames to passwords and the timing of attempts. A common trap is confusing password spraying with a dictionary attack, but remember that dictionary attacks try many passwords against one user, while spraying tries one password against many users. For a quick memory tip: think "one password, many users" for spraying, versus "many passwords, one user" for brute force.
SY0-701 Security Operations Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security operations. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 analyst is reviewing firewall logs and notices repeated connection attempts from a single external IP address to multiple internal IP addresses on TCP port 22 (SSH). Each attempt uses a different username but the same password: 'Spring2024!'. The attempts occur sporadically over a 12-hour period. Which type of attack is most likely being observed?
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
Password spraying attack
This is a password spraying attack because the attacker uses a single common password ('Spring2024!') against multiple usernames across different internal IP addresses, attempting to avoid account lockout by spreading attempts over time and targets. Unlike brute-force or dictionary attacks that focus many passwords against a single account, password spraying targets many accounts with a few weak passwords, making it harder to detect via failed login thresholds.
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.
- ✗
Brute-force attack
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A brute-force attack typically tries many different passwords against a single username to guess the correct one. The scenario uses a single password across multiple usernames, which is not characteristic of brute-force.
- ✗
Dictionary attack
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A dictionary attack uses a list of common passwords against a single account. Here, the attacker uses the same password repeatedly but targets many different accounts, which is not a dictionary attack.
- ✓
Password spraying attack
Why this is correct
Correct. Password spraying involves an attacker trying a small number of commonly used passwords against many different accounts to avoid lockout and evade detection. The use of a single password against many usernames exactly matches this technique.
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.
- ✗
Man-in-the-middle attack
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A man-in-the-middle attack involves an attacker intercepting and potentially altering communications between two parties. The log entries show direct connection attempts, not intercepted traffic.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'multiple passwords against one user' (brute-force/dictionary) with 'one password against multiple users' (password spraying), especially when the scenario mentions 'different username' and 'same password' — a classic sign of a spraying attack.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Incorrect. A man-in-the-middle attack involves an attacker intercepting and potentially altering communications between two parties. The log entries show direct connection attempts, not intercepted traffic.
Scenario analysis trap
Incorrect. A brute-force attack typically tries many different passwords against a single username to guess the correct one. The scenario uses a single password across multiple usernames, which is not characteristic of brute-force.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Password spraying exploits the common practice of using weak, seasonal passwords (like 'Spring2024!') across an organization. Attackers often use tools like Hydra or Medusa with the '-U' flag to specify a username list and a single password, spreading attempts over hours to stay below account lockout thresholds (e.g., 5 failed attempts per 15 minutes). In real-world scenarios, this technique is frequently used against VPNs, OWA, or SSH services to gain initial footholds.
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 security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Password spraying attack — This is a password spraying attack because the attacker uses a single common password ('Spring2024!') against multiple usernames across different internal IP addresses, attempting to avoid account lockout by spreading attempts over time and targets. Unlike brute-force or dictionary attacks that focus many passwords against a single account, password spraying targets many accounts with a few weak passwords, making it harder to detect via failed login thresholds.
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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A SOC analyst is reviewing logs from a Windows domain controller and notices a large number of failed logon attempts (Event ID 4625) from a single source IP address within a five-minute window. The account names used are random strings such as "a1b2c3", "x9y8z7", etc. The analyst then checks the source IP and finds it is a known external address from a foreign country. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step for the analyst to take?
medium- A.Immediately block the IP address at the perimeter firewall.
- ✓ B.Investigate whether any of the attempted accounts correspond to actual domain users.
- C.Run a full antivirus scan on the domain controller.
- D.Notify the company's legal department for law enforcement involvement.
Why B: Option B is correct because the analyst must first determine if any of the randomly generated account names match existing domain user accounts. If a match is found, it indicates a targeted password-spraying or brute-force attack against valid accounts, requiring immediate account lockdown and credential reset. This investigation step aligns with the incident response process of identification before containment or escalation.
Variation 2. A security operations analyst is tuning a SIEM correlation rule designed to detect brute-force password attacks against domain user accounts. The current rule generates an alert when a single user account has more than 10 failed logon attempts within a 5-minute window. The SOC team is overwhelmed by thousands of alerts each day, the vast majority of which are triggered by legitimate users who accidentally mistype their passwords. Which of the following modifications to the rule would most effectively reduce false positives while still detecting actual brute-force attacks?
medium- A.Increase the failed attempt threshold to 20 attempts within the same 5-minute window.
- ✓ B.Modify the rule to trigger only when the failed attempts originate from multiple distinct source IP addresses.
- C.Modify the rule to trigger only when the failed attempts are against multiple distinct user accounts.
- D.Add an exception to suppress alerts for any user account that has a valid password reset request within the same time period.
Why B: Option B is correct because brute-force attacks often distribute failed attempts across multiple source IP addresses to evade detection, while legitimate users typically mistype from a single IP. By requiring failed attempts from multiple distinct source IPs, the rule filters out accidental mistypes (single IP) and still catches distributed brute-force attacks, which is a common evasion technique.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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