Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

What type of attacks does the 'LOIC' tool primarily target?

1. Sniffing attacks

2. DoS/DDoS attacks

3. Data breaches

4. Malware distribution

The correct answer is: DoS/DDoS attacks

The 'Low Orbit Ion Cannon' (LOIC) tool is specifically designed for conducting denial-of-service (DoS) and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Its primary function is to flood a target server with a large volume of traffic, thereby overwhelming it and making it unable to respond to legitimate requests. LOIC achieves this by sending packets continuously to the target, which can lead to service unavailability for users trying to access the affected service. The tool is often utilized in hacktivism and by individuals looking to disrupt services for various reasons, showcasing its effectiveness in executing these types of attacks. In contrast, other types of attacks such as sniffing attacks involve monitoring and capturing network traffic, which LOIC does not perform. Data breaches focus on unauthorized access and retrieval of sensitive information, while malware distribution pertains to the spread of malicious software, none of which align with LOIC's intended usage. This distinction reinforces why LOIC is primarily associated with DoS/DDoS attacks.