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CCSP Practice Question: Which cloud-specific attack involves an…

Which cloud-specific attack involves an application making HTTP requests to internal metadata endpoints such as 169.254.169.254 to retrieve cloud instance credentials?

⚠ Common exam trap

The CCSP exam often tests SSRF by pairing it with the specific IP 169.254.169.254, and the trap here is that candidates may confuse SSRF with Dependency Confusion (both involve external resources) or think XSS/SQLi can be used to access internal endpoints, but only SSRF exploits server-side request handling to reach cloud metadata.

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

✓

Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

The attack described is Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), where an attacker exploits a vulnerable application to make HTTP requests to internal metadata endpoints like 169.254.169.254 (the link-local address for cloud instance metadata services). This allows the attacker to retrieve cloud instance credentials (e.g., AWS IAM role temporary credentials) that are normally accessible only from within the instance, leading to privilege escalation and lateral movement.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✗

    Dependency Confusion

    Why it's wrong here

    Dependency confusion involves package name hijacking.

  • ✓

    Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

    Why this is correct

    SSRF tricks the server into making requests to internal endpoints.

  • ✗

    Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

    Why it's wrong here

    XSS injects scripts into web pages.

  • ✗

    SQL Injection

    Why it's wrong here

    SQL injection targets databases.

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JA

Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

This CCSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CCSP exam.