CND Network Perimeter Protection Practice Question
An enterprise security team needs to deploy a Snort rule that detects an HTTP GET request containing a specific directory traversal string (../../etc/passwd). Which rule header and options structure correctly formats this signature?
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
✓
alert tcp any any -> any 80 (msg:"Directory Traversal Attempt"; content:"../../etc/passwd"; sid:1000001; rev:1;)
Snort rules require an action (alert), protocol (tcp), source/destination IPs and ports, and payload options (content).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
log icmp any any -> any any (msg:"ICMP Ping Detected"; itype:8; sid:1000003;)
Why it's wrong here
This rule logs ICMP echo requests, not HTTP traffic.
- ✗
drop udp external any -> $HOME_NET 53 (content:"passwd"; sid:1000002;)
Why it's wrong here
DNS uses UDP port 53 and does not inspect HTTP traversal payloads.
- ✓
alert tcp any any -> any 80 (msg:"Directory Traversal Attempt"; content:"../../etc/passwd"; sid:1000001; rev:1;)
Why this is correct
This rule correctly specifies the alert action, TCP protocol, HTTP port, and signature content.
- ✗
pass ip any any -> any any (content:"GET /index.html"; sid:1000004;)
Why it's wrong here
This rule passes normal traffic rather than alerting on traversal attempts.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CND 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 CND exam.