Network Security
Attacks on Networks
An attack is often described by what the attacker did and what happened, without ever being named, so you have to match the description to the method it uses. Identify the method first, then justify the name by quoting the clues in the wording.
| Attack | Clue in the description | What the attack does |
|---|---|---|
| Brute-force attack | software makes many password or PIN attempts automatically | repeated trial and error to find the correct password or PIN |
| Denial of service attack | a server is flooded with requests and genuine users cannot use the service | disrupting availability rather than stealing data |
| Data interception and theft | data is copied as it travels across a network, or a device or storage holding data is stolen | obtaining the data itself |
| SQL injection | SQL code is entered through a web form and runs as part of the database command | making the database follow a malicious instruction |
Worked example: "An online game's servers stop letting new players join, and everyone already in a match is thrown out, after a burst of automated requests arrives from one machine." The clue is the flood of requests that makes the service unavailable to genuine users. That is a denial of service attack, not data theft, because the scenario describes disruption rather than data being copied or stolen.
Justify with the scenario's own words. "Tried password after password without stopping" points to brute-force because the guessing is repeated and automated. "Typed database instructions into the entry form" points to SQL injection because SQL code became part of the website's database command. "Copied files while they were being sent over the network" points to data interception; "walked out with a box of printed customer records" points to data theft. Both belong to data interception and theft, but the clue tells you which method was used.