To launch a denial-of-service attack against a web server, which tool would you most likely use?

• A. Burp Suite
• B. Nikto
• C. Acunetix
• D. WebInspect

Answer: (D)

Testing a web server for a denial-of-service scenario focuses on how the server handles heavy or abnormal loads and repeated requests, rather than just finding vulnerabilities. WebInspect is a comprehensive web application security testing tool that, among its capabilities, can simulate attack-like conditions and generate automated traffic patterns to assess how a web app responds under stress. This makes it the most aligned option among the choices for examining DoS-type behavior in a controlled, authorized assessment.

The other tools in the list are primarily designed for vulnerability discovery and scanning rather than stress testing. Burp Suite excels at manual and automated testing of web app logic and security flaws, but DoS isn’t its main purpose. Nikto and Acunetix focus on identifying known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in web servers and applications rather than evaluating resilience under high load.