Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

What type of attack exploits security flaws to allow remote administration on hardware management interfaces?

1. Ping of Death Attack

2. Permanent Denial-of-Service Attack

3. PDoS Attack

4. SYN Flood Attack

The correct answer is: PDoS Attack

The correct answer is PDoS Attack, which stands for Permanent Denial-of-Service Attack. This type of attack specifically targets the hardware management interfaces, such as those found in routers, switches, or server management systems. By exploiting vulnerabilities in these systems, attackers can achieve remote administration access, often leading to the permanent incapacitation of the hardware. PDoS attacks can corrupt or disrupt the hardware's functioning by manipulating its management interfaces, which are typically less protected than standard software interfaces. The nature of PDoS attacks makes them particularly malicious, as they not only render the device inoperable but may also require physical intervention to restore functionality, escalating the impact of the attack. In contrast, the other attack types mentioned primarily focus on network traffic manipulation or temporary service disruption without necessarily leading to remote administration access or permanent hardware damage. For example, the Ping of Death Attack involves sending malformed packets to crash systems but does not grant administrative control. The Permanent Denial-of-Service Attack is broader, while the SYN Flood primarily overwhelms a service with connection requests, affecting availability without leading to exploitation of security flaws for remote management.