DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks aim to overwhelm a target’s resources with excessive
traffic, disrupting availability, whereas other attack types target different goals.
Why D is correct: Brute force attacks focus on guessing credentials (e.g., passwords) to gain
unauthorized access, not on denying service. CNSP classifies it as an authentication attack, not a
DDoS method.
Why other options are incorrect:
A: SYN Flood exhausts TCP connection resources, a classic DDoS attack.
B: NTP Amplification leverages amplified responses to flood targets, a DDoS technique.
C: UDP Flood overwhelms a system with UDP packets, another DDoS method.
Reference: CNSP "DDoS Attack Types" (Section on Attack Classification) excludes brute force from
DDoS categories, listing SYN, NTP, and UDP floods as examples.
