SSCP Network and Communications Security Practice Question
Which transport layer protocol is used by DNS for its queries and responses, and why is it appropriate?
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
✓
UDP, because it is connectionless and fast, suitable for short exchanges.
DNS primarily uses UDP for its fast, low-overhead queries. TCP is used for zone transfers or when responses exceed 512 bytes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
UDP, because it guarantees packet ordering.
Why it's wrong here
UDP does not guarantee ordering; that is a TCP feature.
- ✗
TCP, because it provides error checking and retransmission.
Why it's wrong here
While TCP is reliable, DNS uses UDP for most queries to reduce latency.
- ✗
TCP, because reliability is critical for DNS resolution.
Why it's wrong here
DNS can operate over TCP, but standard queries use UDP for efficiency.
- ✓
UDP, because it is connectionless and fast, suitable for short exchanges.
Why this is correct
DNS queries are typically small and benefit from UDP's low overhead.
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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.