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CS Professional · Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Cyber Security - Laws and Practice · Network Basics and Security

An attacker sits on the same public Wi-Fi as a Hyderabad consultant and secretly relays and alters the messages between the consultant's laptop and the company's server, while both sides believe they talk directly. Which attack is this, and which security property is chiefly threatened?

This is a man-in-the-middle attack. The attacker intercepts and may modify traffic between two parties who think they are communicating directly, so confidentiality and integrity are threatened. Brute force, Smurf flooding and logic bombs work differently and do not describe secret relaying of messages.

  1. AMan-in-the-middle attack; confidentiality and integrity of communicationCorrect
  2. BBrute-force attack; availability of the server
  3. CSmurf attack; non-repudiation of transactions
  4. DLogic bomb; authorisation of administrators

Explanation

Secretly relaying and possibly altering communication between two parties is a man-in-the-middle attack, threatening confidentiality (eavesdropping) and integrity (alteration). Brute force guesses passwords, a Smurf attack is an ICMP-based flood affecting availability, and a logic bomb is malicious code triggered by a condition.

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