CompTIA PenTest+ Practice Test

Which type of attack continuously sends signals to a device, preventing it from resting and draining the battery?

1. Denial of Service

2. Denial of Sleep

3. Man-in-the-Middle

4. Brute Force

The correct answer is: Denial of Sleep

The selected answer pertains to an attack specifically designed to hinder a device's ability to enter a low-power state, ultimately draining its battery. This type of attack is referred to as a Denial of Sleep attack. In this scenario, the attacker continuously sends signals or requests to the target device, keeping it active and preventing it from going into a power-saving mode, resulting in excessive energy consumption. Denial of Sleep attacks can exploit the power management system of devices, especially in scenarios where battery conservation is crucial, such as in portable devices like smartphones or IoT gadgets. By preventing the device from resting, the attacker can cause the device's battery to deplete rapidly, rendering it ineffective for the user. The other options do not accurately describe this phenomenon. A Denial of Service attack generally aims to overwhelm a device or network, leading to service unavailability, but it is not specifically focused on battery drainage through the continuous activation of a device. Man-in-the-Middle attacks involve intercepting communications between two parties and do not relate to device sleep states or battery consumption. Brute Force attacks are aimed at cracking passwords or encryption through repeated attempts and also do not focus on battery usage or device sleep management. Thus, the understanding of a Denial of Sleep