What term refers to the set of rules for communication, including a protocol stack?

• A. Threats Over a Network
• B. Protocols
• C. Think like an adversary
• D. Network Security

Answer: (B)

Rules governing how data is exchanged across a network are called protocols. These define the format, timing, sequencing, and error handling of communications, and they’re organized into a protocol stack (like OSI or TCP/IP) where each layer provides specific services to the layer above and relies on the layer below. For example, application-layer protocols like HTTP specify how data is presented to applications, transport-layer protocols like TCP ensure reliable delivery, the network layer handles addressing and routing with IP, and the data-link layer manages framing over a local link with Ethernet. The other options touch on related security topics or attacker perspectives, but they aren’t the formal name for the rules that govern communication.