The result of an attack Traceback can be characterized by these three parameters, the degree of which determines success:

Question

Options

• Aconfidentiality, integrity, and availability
• Bprecision, integrity, and timeliness
• Cconfidentiality, integrity, and accuracy
• Dprecision, accuracy, and timeliness

• A
  14% (9)
• B
  6% (4)
• C
  3% (2)
• D
  77% (51)

Explanation

Option D is correct because attack Traceback - the process of identifying the source of a network attack - is evaluated by precision (how narrowly the attack path or origin is pinpointed), accuracy (whether the identified source is actually correct), and timeliness (how quickly the traceback is completed, since a slow result may be useless against an active or fleeting attack). These three metrics directly measure how well a traceback mechanism performs its core job.

Why the distractors fail:

• A is wrong because confidentiality, integrity, and availability are the CIA triad - a framework for classifying security goals, not for measuring traceback effectiveness.
• B is wrong because "integrity" (correctness/consistency of data) is a CIA triad concept; it doesn't characterize how well a traceback locates an attacker.
• C is wrong for the same reason - both "confidentiality" and "integrity" belong to the CIA triad and are irrelevant to evaluating traceback results.

Memory tip: Think PAT - Precision, Accuracy, Timeliness - like a detective who must PAT down the right suspect, precisely identify them, and do it on time before they escape.

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