(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

What do professionals call network traffic that exists between systems on the internet?

1. North-South Traffic

2. Side-by-Side Traffic

3. Local Traffic

4. On Premise Traffic

The correct answer is: North-South Traffic

Network traffic between systems on the internet is commonly referred to as "North-South Traffic." This term is used to describe the direction of data flow between external networks and the internal infrastructure of an organization. Specifically, "North" represents data flowing upwards, typically from local systems to external, centralized data operations or services, whereas "South" signifies the reverse flow, where external requests are directed to internal systems. In the context of networking, understanding the directionality of traffic is critical for implementing effective security measures and optimizing network performance. The distinction between North-South traffic and other types, such as East-West traffic (which refers to communication between devices within a data center or on the same network), is essential for network design and security strategies. The other choices do not accurately capture this commonly recognized terminology. For instance, "Side-by-Side Traffic" and "Local Traffic" generally do not convey the same networking context as North-South and are not standard terms used to describe traffic flow in the same way. "On Premise Traffic" references traffic within a company's physical location but does not specifically denote communication over the internet. Therefore, North-South Traffic is the appropriate and widely accepted term for network interactions that involve internet systems.