CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The main purpose of using TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is to establish reliable communications between devices over a network. TCP is a connection-oriented protocol, meaning it establishes a connection before data can be sent. It ensures that all packets of data are sent, received, and recombined in the correct order, providing mechanisms for error checking and correction. This reliability is essential for applications where data integrity and accuracy are crucial, such as web browsing, email, and file transfers.

While other options may present valid features of communication protocols, they do not underscore the primary function of TCP as effectively as reliability. For example, real-time streaming applications typically favor protocols like UDP (User Datagram Protocol) due to their lower latency despite being less reliable. Quick connections could refer more to lightweight protocols that focus on speed rather than reliability. Finally, simple file transfers can utilize timing mechanisms optimized for speed, which TCP handles, but again without emphasizing the inherent reliability that TCP is designed to provide.