Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) — Question 1172

Which of the following would be the GREATEST threat posed by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on a public-facing web server?

Answer options

• A. Execution of unauthorized commands
• B. Unauthorized access to resources
• C. Defacement of website content
• D. Prevention of authorized access

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The primary threat from a DDoS attack is the prevention of authorized access, as it overwhelms the server with traffic, making it unavailable to legitimate users. While unauthorized commands, access, or defacement can be serious, they are not the main concern of a DDoS attack, which specifically aims to disrupt service availability.