Security Attacks That Require Non-Technical Measures

Types of Attacks Not Prevented by Technical Measures

Question

Which of the following types of attacks cannot be prevented by technical measures only?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

A.

The correct answer is A. Social engineering.

Explanation:

A. Social engineering: Social engineering attacks involve exploiting human psychology to trick users into giving away sensitive information or performing actions that are not secure. This type of attack cannot be prevented by technical measures alone, as it involves manipulating human behavior, which is beyond the scope of technical controls. Social engineering attacks can be prevented through user education, awareness, and training.

B. Brute force: A brute force attack is a trial-and-error method to crack passwords or encryption keys by trying all possible combinations until the correct one is found. Brute force attacks can be prevented through technical measures such as implementing strong passwords, limiting login attempts, and using two-factor authentication.

C. Smurf DoS: A Smurf DoS attack involves sending a large number of ICMP packets to a broadcast address using a spoofed source IP address. The target system receives a flood of responses, which can overwhelm its resources and cause a denial of service. Smurf DoS attacks can be prevented through technical measures such as filtering incoming traffic at the network edge and disabling broadcast responses on network devices.

D. Ping flood attack: A ping flood attack involves sending a large number of ICMP echo request packets to a target system, which can overwhelm its resources and cause a denial of service. Ping flood attacks can be prevented through technical measures such as limiting ICMP traffic and implementing rate limiting.

In summary, while technical measures can prevent many types of attacks, social engineering attacks require a combination of technical controls and user education and awareness to be effective.