Quick Answer
The answer is anycast network distribution, rate limiting, and scrubbing centers. Anycast distributes incoming traffic across multiple geographically dispersed servers, preventing any single node from being overwhelmed during a volumetric attack, while scrubbing centers filter out malicious packets by analyzing traffic patterns in a dedicated high-capacity environment. Rate limiting complements these by capping the number of requests a server accepts per second, reducing the impact of application-layer floods. On the Certified Ethical Hacker CEH exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish defensive techniques from attack methods or harmful practices—a common trap is confusing blackholing, which drops all traffic including legitimate users, with scrubbing. Remember the mnemonic “ARS” for Anycast, Rate limiting, and Scrubbing to recall the three core mitigation pillars that preserve legitimate access.
This CEH practice question tests your understanding of malware, social engineering and network attacks. 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.
Which THREE of the following are effective DDoS mitigation techniques? (Select 3)
Rate limiting
Correct. Rate limiting can throttle attack traffic.
Scrubbing centers
Correct. Scrubbing centers filter attack traffic.
Blackholing all traffic to the target
Why wrong: Blackholing drops all traffic, causing denial of service.
IP spoofing
Why wrong: IP spoofing is an attack technique, not a mitigation.
Anycast network distribution
Correct. Anycast helps absorb DDoS traffic.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Rate limiting
Scrubbing centers filter malicious traffic, rate limiting reduces impact, and anycast distribution spreads traffic across multiple servers. Blackholing drops all traffic (including legitimate), and IP spoofing is an attack technique.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Rate limiting
Why this is correct
Correct. Rate limiting can throttle attack traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Scrubbing centers
Why this is correct
Correct. Scrubbing centers filter attack traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Blackholing all traffic to the target
Why it's wrong here
Blackholing drops all traffic, causing denial of service.
IP spoofing
Why it's wrong here
IP spoofing is an attack technique, not a mitigation.
Anycast network distribution
Why this is correct
Correct. Anycast helps absorb DDoS traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CEH exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which CEH exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks — This question tests Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Rate limiting — Scrubbing centers filter malicious traffic, rate limiting reduces impact, and anycast distribution spreads traffic across multiple servers. Blackholing drops all traffic (including legitimate), and IP spoofing is an attack technique.
Identify which CEH exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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
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. Which THREE of the following are effective DDoS mitigation techniques? (Select 3)
hardWhy B: Rate limiting restricts traffic volume, scrubbing centers filter malicious traffic, and anycast distributes traffic across multiple servers.
Variation 2. Which THREE of the following are effective DDoS mitigation techniques?
hardWhy C: Rate limiting restricts traffic volume, scrubbing centers filter malicious traffic, and anycast distributes traffic across multiple servers to absorb attacks. IP blacklisting alone is insufficient for large-scale DDoS.
Variation 3. Which THREE of the following are valid methods for DDoS mitigation?
mediumWhy A: DDoS mitigation strategies include rate limiting, using scrubbing centers, and anycast routing to distribute traffic.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
This CEH practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council 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 CEH exam.
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