IPA IP 2026 Question 96
A question IPA Japan published in 令和8年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問96, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Which of the following is a cyber attack that has the characteristic of attacking a specific organization or individual continuously over a long period, for example by using multiple attack methods, for purposes such as obtaining confidential information?
Explanation
APT attack — an Advanced Persistent Threat targets a specific organization or person over a long period.
The attacker picks a target, typically to steal confidential information, and combines methods such as targeted e-mail, malware, exploited vulnerabilities and movement inside the network, while staying hidden for months or longer. "Persistent" is the long-term, continuous part; "advanced" is the mix of sophisticated methods.
Answer (a)
Why not others:
- •(b) DDoS attack — floods a server with requests from many machines at once to stop its service; the goal is disruption, not quietly stealing information over time
- •(c) Zero-day attack — exploits a vulnerability before a fix for it is released; it is about timing, and may be one of the methods an APT uses
- •(d) Password list attack — tries ID and password pairs leaked from another site, betting that users reuse them; it hits many accounts, not one target over time
Key rule: A specific target, multiple methods and a long, continuous campaign, usually for information theft, mark an APT attack.
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This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.