Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0916

Which type of attack involves the alteration of a packet at the IP level to convince a system that it is communicating with a known entity in order to gain access to a system?

A.
TCP sequence number attack
B. IP spoofing attack
C. Piggybacking attack
D. Teardrop attack

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

An IP spoofing attack is used to convince a system that it is communication with a known entity that gives an intruder access. It involves modifying the source address of a packet for a trusted source’s address. A TCP sequence number attack involves hijacking a session between a host and a target by predicting the target’s choice of an initial TCP sequence number. Piggybacking refers to an attacker gaining unauthorized access to a system by using a legitimate user’s connection. A teardrop attack consists of modifying the length and fragmentation offset fields in sequential IP packets so the target system becomes confused and crashes after it receives contradictory instructions on how the fragments are offset on these packets. Source: KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, John Wiley & Sons, 2001, Chapter 3: Telecommunications and Network Security (page 77).