Why would a server with no expected activity show unusual outbound traffic late at night? Learn how attackers use backdoors for data exfiltration, a critical concept for the Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity 100-160 exam.
Table of Contents
Question
A security administrator notices an unusual amount of outbound network traffic late at night from a server that should not be in use. What is the most likely explanation?
A. A legitimate system update is occurring
B. The server is backing up data to the cloud
C. An attacker has installed a backdoor and is exfiltrating data
D. An administrator is performing routine maintenance
E. The firewall is misconfigured and allowing unauthorized traffic
Answer
C. An attacker has installed a backdoor and is exfiltrating data
Explanation
Unusual outbound traffic at odd hours can indicate data exfiltration by an attacker who has compromised the system.
The most likely explanation for unusual outbound network traffic late at night from a server that should not be in use is that an attacker has installed a backdoor and is exfiltrating data.
Unusual outbound traffic from a dormant or low-use server, especially during non-business hours, is a classic indicator of compromise and often signals data exfiltration activity.
Attackers commonly install backdoors to maintain persistent, stealthy remote access to compromised systems. These backdoors allow them to extract sensitive data, monitor user activity, and perform further malicious actions without detection.
Once a backdoor is established, attackers can initiate large or sustained transfers of confidential data to external destinations, often using encrypted or obfuscated channels to avoid detection.
This activity is rarely legitimate, especially outside of scheduled maintenance windows, and is a strong sign that the server has been compromised for the purpose of unauthorized data extraction.
Security best practices dictate that such anomalies should trigger immediate investigation to confirm the breach, contain the threat, and prevent further data loss.
Unusual outbound traffic from an unused server, especially at odd hours, is a strong indicator of data exfiltration via a backdoor installed by an attacker.
Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity 100-160 certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity 100-160 exam and earn Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity 100-160 certification.