Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

What is the focus of a Trust Exploitation attack?

1. Exploiting vulnerabilities within firewalls

2. Compromising a trusted outside host to access internal hosts

3. Redirecting traffic based on user credentials

4. Utilizing malware to breach network security

The correct answer is: Compromising a trusted outside host to access internal hosts

A Trust Exploitation attack focuses on compromising a trusted outside host as a means of accessing internal hosts. In a typical networking environment, trust relationships can exist between different systems and networks. For instance, an organization may trust certain external systems to interact with its internal network, allowing them access under the assumption that these systems are secure and reliable. In this context, an attacker will exploit this trust. By compromising a trusted external host, the attacker can then use it as a launching point or proxy to infiltrate the internal network. This exploits the assumption that traffic from the external host is legitimate, thereby bypassing traditional security measures that would block untrusted or unauthenticated access. The focus of such an attack is unique because it takes advantage of established trust, distinguishing it from direct attacks on security devices like firewalls or methods that employ malware. This underscores the importance of network segmentation, vigilant monitoring of trusted connections, and the necessity of continuously assessing trust within network architectures to prevent such exploitation.