Question

Which of the below-mentioned protocol is not susceptible to sniffing?

(a) NNTP

(b) UDP

(c) FTP

(d) IMAP

I have been asked this question in an interview for job.

My question is from Attack Vectors topic in chapter Understanding Attack Vectors of Cyber Security

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

(b) UDP

UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a connectionless protocol that does not establish a reliable connection or session. While UDP itself isn't inherently secure or encrypted, it is not directly susceptible to sniffing in the same way as protocols that transmit sensitive data in plaintext (like NNTP, FTP, and IMAP). These protocols often send information without encryption, making them vulnerable to sniffing attacks.

However, it's important to note that UDP can still be used in attacks (e.g., through DDoS), but sniffing (capturing data on the network) is typically associated with protocols that exchange readable data without encryption.