Fundamentals of InfoSecintermediate
Distinguish passive network attacks from active network attacks and give examples from the material.
Answer
Passive attacks observe or monitor transmissions without necessarily changing them. Active attacks alter, replay, disrupt, or falsely represent communications. Monitoring is passive; replay, message modification, denial of service, and masquerade are active examples.
Explanation
### The concept
A passive attack gathers information by observing communications. Because the attacker may leave the data unchanged, the activity can be difficult to notice. An active attack changes or disrupts communication or creates a false representation. The course names monitoring as passive and includes replay, modification, denial of service, and masquerade among active threats.
### What a good answer covers
- Passive attacks observe or monitor.
- Active attacks change, replay, disrupt, or fabricate communications.
- Monitoring is a passive example.
- Replay, modification, denial of service, or masquerade are active examples.
### Remember
Observation is passive; interference or deception is active.
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