CEH Practice Question: Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks
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 indicators of a slowloris DDoS attack?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Normal traffic volume but connections remain open for a long time
B is correct because a Slowloris DDoS attack works by opening many connections to a target web server and keeping them open for as long as possible, sending partial HTTP requests to tie up server resources. This results in normal traffic volume but with connections that remain open for extended periods, preventing legitimate users from connecting.
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.
✗
ICMP echo replies from random IPs
Why it's wrong here
ICMP is not used in slowloris; this suggests a Smurf attack.
✓
Normal traffic volume but connections remain open for a long time
Why this is correct
Slowloris maintains open connections for extended periods without completing the request.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Many half-open HTTP connections
Why this is correct
Slowloris opens many connections and keeps them half-open by sending headers slowly.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Server logs showing incomplete HTTP requests
Why this is correct
Slowloris sends headers without finishing the request, leaving incomplete entries in logs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often associate DDoS attacks with high traffic volume, but Slowloris is a low-and-slow attack that uses normal traffic volume with persistent, incomplete connections, so they may incorrectly select high-volume options like A or E.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Slowloris exploits the way Apache and other web servers handle concurrent connections by sending partial HTTP headers (e.g., 'GET / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: target.com\r\n') and then sending additional header lines slowly, never completing the request. Each connection consumes a server thread or process, and once all available threads are occupied, the server cannot accept new legitimate connections. The attack uses minimal bandwidth, making it hard to detect via volume-based monitoring.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CEH question in full detail.
Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks — This question tests Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Normal traffic volume but connections remain open for a long time — B is correct because a Slowloris DDoS attack works by opening many connections to a target web server and keeping them open for as long as possible, sending partial HTTP requests to tie up server resources. This results in normal traffic volume but with connections that remain open for extended periods, preventing legitimate users from connecting.
What should I do if I get this CEH question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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