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EC-Council

312-50V12 · Question #238

A sophisticated attacker targets your web server with the intent to execute a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. His strategy involves a unique mixture of TCP SYN, UDP, and ICMP floods, using 'r' packets

The correct answer is A. h=1987 (prime): The attacker's packet rate exceeds the server's capacity, causing potential. The question assesses the understanding of Denial of Service (DoS) attack impact, specifically identifying when a server's capacity ('h') is exceeded by an attacker's packet rate ('r'), leading to potential service unresponsiveness.

Submitted by rania.sa· Mar 4, 2026Network and Perimeter Hacking

Question

A sophisticated attacker targets your web server with the intent to execute a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. His strategy involves a unique mixture of TCP SYN, UDP, and ICMP floods, using 'r' packets per second. Your server, reinforced with advanced security measures, can handle 'h' packets per second before it starts showing signs of strain. If 'r' surpasses 'h', it overwhelms the server, causing it to become unresponsive. In a peculiar pattern, the attacker selects 'r' as a composite number and 'h' as a prime number, making the attack detection more challenging. Considering 'r=2010' and different values for 'h', which of the following scenarios would potentially cause the server to falter?

Options

  • Ah=1987 (prime): The attacker's packet rate exceeds the server's capacity, causing potential
  • Bh=1999 (prime): Despite the attacker's packet flood, the server can handle these requests,
  • Ch=1993 (prime): Despite being less than 'r', the server's prime number capacity keeps it barely
  • Dh=2003 (prime): The server can manage more packets than the attacker is sending, hence it

How the community answered

(36 responses)
  • A
    86% (31)
  • B
    3% (1)
  • C
    3% (1)
  • D
    8% (3)

Why each option

The question assesses the understanding of Denial of Service (DoS) attack impact, specifically identifying when a server's capacity ('h') is exceeded by an attacker's packet rate ('r'), leading to potential service unresponsiveness.

Ah=1987 (prime): The attacker's packet rate exceeds the server's capacity, causing potentialCorrect

In scenario A, the attacker's rate (r=2010 packets/second) clearly surpasses the server's capacity (h=1987 packets/second). This aligns with the problem's condition (r > h) for the server to falter, and the explanation accurately states that the attacker's rate exceeds capacity, causing potential issues.

Bh=1999 (prime): Despite the attacker's packet flood, the server can handle these requests,

For h=1999, the attacker's rate (r=2010) exceeds the server's capacity, meaning the server should falter, but the explanation incorrectly claims the server can handle the requests.

Ch=1993 (prime): Despite being less than 'r', the server's prime number capacity keeps it barely

Although r=2010 is greater than h=1993, indicating the server would falter, the explanation vaguely suggests the server might 'barely' cope, which contradicts the condition for failure.

Dh=2003 (prime): The server can manage more packets than the attacker is sending, hence it

For h=2003, the attacker's rate (r=2010) is greater than the server's capacity, yet the explanation incorrectly states that the server can manage more packets than the attacker is sending.

Concept tested: DoS attack impact and server capacity calculations

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/ddos-protection-overview

Topics

#DoS attack#Network flooding#Server capacity#Attack outcome

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