CompTIA CASP+ Practice Test

Which network threat poses the greatest impact and what is the appropriate remediation step?

1. Threat: DoS Attack; Remediation: Increase Bandwidth

2. Threat: Bridge Loop; Remediation: Enable Spanning Tree

3. Threat: Man-in-the-Middle; Remediation: Enable Encryption

4. Threat: Unauthorized Access; Remediation: Implement Role-Based Access Control

The correct answer is: Threat: Bridge Loop; Remediation: Enable Spanning Tree

The correct answer centers on the network threat of a Bridge Loop and the remediation step of enabling Spanning Tree. A Bridge Loop occurs when there are multiple paths between network devices that are not properly managed, leading to broadcast storms and excessive packet duplication. This can severely degrade network performance and stability, potentially bringing a network to a halt. Enabling Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is the appropriate remediation because STP helps to automatically detect and eliminate redundant paths in the network. By doing this, it ensures that there is only one active path between any two network devices, which prevents the loop from occurring and stabilizes the network. This proactive measure allows for both fault tolerance and redundancy, preserving the integrity and functionality of network operations. In contrast, other threats and their associated remediations, such as increasing bandwidth in the case of a DoS attack or enabling encryption for a Man-in-the-Middle attack, may not address the fundamental issues that cause the respective threats to have a high impact. Similarly, implementing Role-Based Access Control for unauthorized access is a great practice for managing permissions but doesn't directly mitigate the immediate risks presented by a Bridge Loop. Thus, enabling Spanning Tree in relation to a Bridge Loop best addresses the network threat and its ramifications effectively