(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

What type of attack involves fragmenting traffic so that a system cannot reassemble the data packets?

1. Packet Sniffing

2. Fragment Attack

3. Denial of Service

4. Man-in-the-Middle

The correct answer is: Fragment Attack

The type of attack that involves fragmenting traffic so that a system cannot reassemble the data packets is known as a Fragment Attack. This technique exploits the way data packets are divided into smaller fragments for transmission over networks. By manipulating these fragments, an attacker can create situations where a target system fails to properly process or assemble the incoming packets, potentially leading to disruptions in service. Fragment attacks can be particularly effective against systems that do not handle fragment reassembly correctly or impose limits on packet size. When a system is unable to reconstruct the original data from its fragments, it may lead to vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. This can cause a range of issues, such as Denial of Service (DoS), where legitimate users are unable to access services. In contrast, packet sniffing involves monitoring and capturing data packets traveling across a network without altering them. A Denial of Service attack typically seeks to overwhelm a system with excessive traffic, while a Man-in-the-Middle attack focuses on intercepting and possibly altering communication between two parties without their knowledge. Each of these methods operates differently and does not rely on the fragmentation of data packets to impede the functionality of a target system.