CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1002) — Question 409

When hackers execute code against a vulnerability in the hope that it has not yet been addressed, this is known as a:

Answer options

• A. zero-day attack
• B. spoofing attack
• C. DDoS attack
• D. brute force attack

Correct answer: A

Explanation

A zero-day attack refers to the exploitation of a previously unknown vulnerability, which means that there is no patch available yet. In contrast, spoofing attacks involve impersonating another device or user, DDoS attacks aim to overwhelm a service with traffic, and brute force attacks try to guess passwords through trial and error. Therefore, only the option A correctly identifies the scenario described.