A Smurf attack is a type of DDoS attack that exploits which protocol?

A Smurf attack is a type of DDoS attack that exploits which protocol?

• A. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
• B. The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
• C. The Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP).
• D. The User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

Answer: (C)

Smurf attacks rely on ICMP. The attacker sends ICMP Echo Request packets with the source address spoofed to the target and directed at a network’s broadcast address. All devices on that broadcast network reply to the spoofed address, flooding the victim with ICMP Echo Replies and overwhelming their bandwidth and resources. This amplification is built on ICMP, not on TCP, HTTP, or UDP, which is why ICMP is the correct protocol involved. Modern defenses include disabling directed broadcasts, filtering spoofed traffic, and rate-limiting ICMP to prevent this kind of amplification.

Smurf attacks rely on ICMP. The attacker sends ICMP Echo Request packets with the source address spoofed to the target and directed at a network’s broadcast address. All devices on that broadcast network reply to the spoofed address, flooding the victim with ICMP Echo Replies and overwhelming their bandwidth and resources. This amplification is built on ICMP, not on TCP, HTTP, or UDP, which is why ICMP is the correct protocol involved. Modern defenses include disabling directed broadcasts, filtering spoofed traffic, and rate-limiting ICMP to prevent this kind of amplification.