What is the main difference between a Smurf and a Fraggle attack?

The correct answer is A. A Smurf attack is ICMP-based and a Fraggle attack is UDP-based. Both Smurf and Fraggle are amplification-based Denial of Service (DoS) attacks that spoof the victim's IP address and send broadcast traffic to flood the target. The key difference is the protocol used: a Smurf attack uses ICMP echo requests (ping) broadcast to a network…

Submitted by jaden.t· Apr 18, 2026Network and Communications Security

Question

Options

AA Smurf attack is ICMP-based and a Fraggle attack is UDP-based.
BA Smurf attack is UDP-based and a Fraggle attack is TCP-based.
CSmurf attack packets cannot be spoofed.
DA Smurf attack is UDP-based and a Fraggle attack is ICMP-based.

How the community answered

(31 responses)

A
87% (27)
B
3% (1)
C
6% (2)
D
3% (1)

Explanation

Both Smurf and Fraggle are amplification-based Denial of Service (DoS) attacks that spoof the victim's IP address and send broadcast traffic to flood the target. The key difference is the protocol used: a Smurf attack uses ICMP echo requests (ping) broadcast to a network, causing all hosts to reply to the victim. A Fraggle attack uses UDP packets (typically to ports 7 or 19) in the same broadcast amplification manner. Option B reverses the protocols. Option C is false - Smurf packets can be spoofed. Option D also reverses the protocols.

Topics

#DoS Attacks#Smurf Attack#Fraggle Attack#Network Protocols

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