Network Attacks

What this unit covers

This unit sits in the Threats and Attacks strand of Cybersecurity. Its resources look at how attackers target networks and how defenders spot them. The topics include buffer overflows, DNS amplification, denial of service, sniffing, session hijacking, IP address spoofing and honeypots.

Where to start

Begin with the mind maps to get the big picture. The map on ARP, MAC and IP addressing sets out how Ethernet frames identify a source and a destination, which helps when you meet spoofing later. The Denial of Service Attacks mind map explains that many techniques count as DoS if they deactivate a service or reduce its performance.

Next, use flashcards to fix the terms. The Internet Forensics deck runs from Whois and ARIN to war dialers, port scanning, session hijacking and fragmentation attacks. The Security+ Obj 3.2 deck asks plain questions such as what a Man-in-the-Middle, Replay or Smurf attack is.

Testing yourself

Then move to quizzes. The quiz Ch 5 - Networking & Server Attacks is a good first test. After that, work through these chapters in order:

1. Sniffing and Evasion, which asks about port security and honeypots.
2. Denial of Service, which includes NOP instructions and how the stack works.
3. Session Hijacking, which starts with a precise definition of the attack.

The listed CEH material is practice for that exam, so it suits professional candidates and university students most.

Using maps and quizzes together

• Read a map, then take the matching quiz without looking back.
• Note each question you miss and find that idea on a map or flashcard.
• Retake the quiz a few days later and compare.

Teachers can set a map as pre-reading and a quiz as a quick check in class.

Over to you

Pick one topic that feels shaky, open its quiz and see where you stand. You can also write your own notes on anything you find missing.