Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

What type of attack involves unauthorized changes to a website's content?

1. SQL Injection

2. Website defacement

3. Cross-Site Scripting

4. Brute-force attack

The correct answer is: Website defacement

The type of attack that involves unauthorized changes to a website's content is website defacement. This attack typically occurs when an attacker gains access to a web server or the website’s content management system, allowing them to modify the site's appearance or replace its content with their own. Such changes can include replacing the homepage with offensive or misleading information or altering other pages to convey a different message. This form of attack is often used to defame the organization or demonstrate the attacker's hacking skills. In contrast, SQL Injection involves manipulating a website's database queries to gain access to or alter data without the proper authorization, but it does not primarily focus on changing the visible content of the website itself. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) exploits vulnerabilities in a web application to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by users, affecting user interaction rather than directly altering the website's content. Brute-force attacks focus on systematically guessing passwords to gain access to accounts or systems and do not pertain to content changes on a website. Thus, website defacement is specifically related to altering the web content itself, making it the correct answer.