CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202)SecurityMedium
A user receives an urgent-looking email claiming to be from their bank, stating that their account has been compromised and they need to click a link to verify their details immediately. The email contains a generic greeting, several grammatical errors, and the link points to a suspicious-looking URL. Which social engineering technique is being employed?
- AWhaling
- BVishing
- CSmishing
- DPhishing
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Phishing
Phishing is a social engineering attack that uses fraudulent emails, messages, or websites to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information, often characterized by urgency, generic greetings, and suspicious links.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Whaling is a targeted phishing attack aimed at high-profile individuals (e.g., CEOs), which is not indicated by a generic greeting.
- B. Vishing is phishing conducted over the phone (voice phishing).
- C. Smishing is phishing conducted via SMS text messages.
Phishing
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack where an attacker attempts to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details, by disguising as a trustworthy entity in electronic communication.
- Most commonly delivered via email.
- Often uses urgency, fear, or curiosity to manipulate victims.
- Indicators include generic greetings, grammatical errors, and suspicious URLs.
Memory trick: Social engineers fish for info, pretext, or bait.