To answer this question, we need to understand the different types of attacks and their targets.
A. A denial-of-service (DoS) attack on servers on a network - In a DoS attack, the attacker floods the target servers with a large volume of traffic or requests, overwhelming their resources and causing them to become unresponsive or crash. In this case, the network itself is not the target of the attack, but rather the servers on the network.
B. Hacking into a router - When an attacker hacks into a router, they gain unauthorized access to the router's settings and can manipulate its configuration. This allows them to control network traffic, redirect it, or eavesdrop on communication. In this case, the network itself is the target of the attack, as the attacker is compromising the router's security.
C. A virus outbreak saturating network capacity - In this situation, a virus outbreak occurs, causing infected devices on the network to generate excessive network traffic. This surge in traffic saturates the network's capacity and affects its performance. However, the network itself is not the direct target of the attack. Instead, the attack targets the devices connected to the network.
D. A man-in-the-middle attack - In a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack, the attacker intercepts and relays communication between two parties without their knowledge. This allows the attacker to eavesdrop on the communication, manipulate the data, or impersonate one of the parties. The network itself is not the primary target of the attack, but rather the communication passing through it.
Based on the explanations above, the situation in which the network itself is not a target of attack is option C - a virus outbreak saturating network capacity. In this case, the attack targets the devices on the network, causing them to generate excess traffic and saturating the network's capacity.