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SSCP Practice Question: Based on the exhibit, which type of attack is…

Network Topology
"request": "GET /search?q=test%22%3B%20DROP%20TABLE%20users%3BHTTP/1.1",Refer to the exhibit."timestamp": "2024-06-15T14:23:10Z","source_ip": "10.0.0.5","dest_ip": "10.0.0.100","user_agent": "Mozilla/5.0","status": 500

Based on the exhibit, which type of attack is most likely being attempted?

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

SQL injection

The exhibit shows a URL parameter containing SQL injection syntax (DROP TABLE users;). The %22%3B%20 sequence decodes to "; " which is used to break out of a SQL query. The destination is an internal host (10.0.0.100), likely a web application server. A status code of 500 indicates a server error, possibly due to the malicious input. Thus, SQL injection (Option D) is correct. The other options do not match the pattern.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

  • Cross-site scripting (XSS)

    Why it's wrong here

    XSS typically injects scripts into the response, not SQL syntax in a parameter.

  • SQL injection

    Why this is correct

    The parameter contains SQL syntax designed to drop a table, which is characteristic of a SQL injection attack.

  • Directory traversal

    Why it's wrong here

    Directory traversal uses '../' to access restricted files, not SQL statements.

  • Buffer overflow

    Why it's wrong here

    Buffer overflow exploits involve sending more data than expected to crash or control a process, not SQL commands.

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JA

Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

This SSCP 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 SSCP exam.