What type of measures are required to protect against sniffing attacks?

• A. A comprehensive set of measures at physical, administrative, and technical levels.
• B. Only technical controls are needed.
• C. Encryption on the network layer is enough.
• D. User training alone is sufficient.

Answer: (A)

Protecting against sniffing requires a defense-in-depth approach that covers physical, administrative, and technical layers. Sniffing is about capturing network traffic, so you need to restrict physical access to network devices, prevent rogue devices from connecting, and securely manage cables and ports. Administrative measures establish policies and processes: proper access controls, least-privilege, asset inventory, ongoing monitoring, incident response, and security awareness so people and procedures don’t introduce weaknesses. Technical controls bring encryption and secure configurations into play: strong encryption for data in transit (such as TLS, VPNs, IPsec), secure and authenticated protocols, proper network segmentation, and robust wireless security. Relying only on network-layer encryption isn’t enough because endpoints can be compromised, misconfigurations can expose traffic, and even encrypted data can be at risk if keys aren’t protected or if other layers aren’t secured. Training alone won’t prevent sniffing either, since attackers can still exploit gaps in technology and policy. That combination of physical protection, solid policies, and strong technical safeguards is what truly mitigates sniffing risks.