Which statement is NOT true about the SOCKS protocol?

A.
It operates in the transport layer of the OSI model.

B.
It uses an ESP for authentication and encryption.

C.
It is sometimes referred to as an application-level proxy.

D.
Network applications need to be SOCKS-ified to operate.

Explanation:
The correct answer is “It uses an ESP for authentication and encryptio”. The Encapsulating Security
Payload, (ESP) is a component of IPSec. Socket Security (SOCKS) is a transport layer, secure
networking proxy protocol. SOCKS replaces the standard network systems calls with its own calls.
These calls open connections to a SOCKS proxy server for client authentication, transparently to the
user. Common network utilities, like TELNET or FTP, need to be SOCKSified, or have their network
calls altered to recognize SOCKS proxy calls. Source: Designing Network Security by Merike Kaeo
(Cisco Press, 1999).