GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies Practice Test

Which type of attack exploits timer vulnerabilities in online systems?

1. Phishing

2. Denial of Service

3. Time-based attacks

4. SQL Injection

The correct answer is: Time-based attacks

The correct choice is time-based attacks, as these types of attacks specifically leverage vulnerabilities related to the timing of operations within an online system. Time-based attacks often involve manipulating the timing of requests or responses to infer information about the system or the data it processes, such as through side-channel attacks. These attacks can exploit flaws where an attacker can observe the time it takes for a system to respond, allowing them to deduce sensitive information or how the application behaves under certain conditions. For example, in a time-based SQL injection scenario, an attacker may send queries that induce a delay in the response. By measuring the response time, they can gain insight into the database structure or determine whether certain inputs are valid, thereby compromising the integrity of the system. This concept differentiates time-based attacks from other types of attacks, like phishing, which deceive users; denial of service attacks that aim to make a system unavailable; or SQL injection, which targets database vulnerabilities but may not directly exploit timing mechanisms. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify why time-based attacks are categorized specifically based on their exploitation of timing vulnerabilities.