A SYN attack exploits what aspect of TCP communications?

Question

Options

• AThree-way handshake
• BUnilateral communication
• CTransport layer communication
• DConnectionless oriented communication

• A
  83% (33)
• B
  10% (4)
• C
  5% (2)
• D
  3% (1)

Explanation

A SYN attack (SYN flood) exploits the three-way handshake - the process TCP uses to establish connections. An attacker sends a flood of SYN packets with spoofed source IPs; the server responds with SYN-ACK packets and waits for ACK replies that never come, filling its connection table until it can't accept legitimate connections.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B (Unilateral communication) - TCP is bidirectional by design; "unilateral" doesn't describe any TCP mechanism.
• C (Transport layer communication) - While TCP does operate at the transport layer, this is too broad to identify the specific vulnerability being exploited; it's the handshake mechanism within that layer that's the target.
• D (Connectionless oriented communication) - This describes UDP, not TCP. TCP is connection-oriented, and that's precisely what makes the handshake attack possible.

Memory tip: Think "SYN = SYNchromize the handshake." The attack works because TCP must complete its three-step ritual (SYN → SYN-ACK → ACK) before a connection is established - attackers exploit that waiting period.

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