38. A network team is investigating failures to onboard users to a Wi-Fi network. The investigation shows that the access point accepts connections for a short time after a restart. The security administration inspecting the connections has logs that show a large increase in suspicious connections to the access point. Repeating the device with a higher capacity access point does not resolve the issue. Which of the following attacks is most likely occurring?
Answer: D
DoS attacks are most likely occurring.
The investigation indicates that the access point is overwhelmed with connections shortly after a restart, suggesting a Denial of Service (DoS) attack where the device is being flooded with traffic, preventing legitimate users from connecting.
A) On-path
An on-path attack, previously known as a man-in-the-middle attack, involves an attacker intercepting communications between two parties. While this can affect connectivity, the specific symptoms described—rapidly increasing suspicious connections and issues immediately after a restart—do not align with the characteristics of on-path attacks.
B) DNS spoofing
DNS spoofing, or DNS cache poisoning, tricks users into connecting to malicious sites by altering DNS records. Although it can lead to user redirection, it does not explain the sudden influx of connections and subsequent failure to onboard users to the Wi-Fi network as detailed in the scenario.
C) Evil twin
An evil twin attack involves setting up a rogue access point that mimics a legitimate one to capture user data. While this could lead to suspicious connections, it does not specifically account for the overwhelming number of connections and the behavior of the access point after a restart, which indicates a more aggressive attack on the network resources.
D) DoS
A Denial of Service (DoS) attack aims to make a network resource unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic. The scenario describes a significant increase in connections that coincide with the access point's inability to handle legitimate user requests, which is characteristic of a DoS attack.
Conclusion
The evidence from the investigation supports that a DoS attack is the most likely scenario, as it directly correlates with the access point's performance issues and the surge in suspicious connections. Other options fail to adequately explain the specific symptoms being experienced, solidifying DoS as the definitive answer.