220-1202 Social Engineering Attacks Practice Test 1 — 15 Questions

Question 1

An employee finds a USB drive labeled 'Employee Salary Info Q4' in the parking lot. Out of curiosity, they plug it into their work computer to see the contents. What type of social engineering attack is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

Baiting. This is baiting, where an attacker leaves a physical item (like a USB drive) in a location where it is likely to be found and used. The enticing label is the 'bait' that exploits human curiosity.

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Phishing

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Tailgating

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Pretexting

Question 2

A new employee receives an email that appears to be from the company's HR department, asking them to click a link to verify their direct deposit information for payroll. The email contains the company logo and looks professional. What is the most likely social engineering attack?

Accepted Answer

Phishing. This is a phishing attack, specifically a form of spear phishing targeting a new employee. The email uses social engineering tactics (urgency, authority) to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link that could steal credentials or install malware.

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Whaling

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Vishing

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Shoulder surfing

Question 3

A user calls the help desk, frantic because their banking app shows an unauthorized transfer of $500. They say they received a call earlier from 'bank security' asking them to install a remote access tool to 'verify their account'. What type of social engineering attack did the user fall victim to?

Accepted Answer

Vishing. This is a classic vishing (voice phishing) attack combined with a tech support scam. The attacker used a phone call to impersonate a trusted entity and tricked the user into installing remote access software, giving the attacker control over the device to perform fraudulent transactions.

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Phishing

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Smishing

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Shoulder surfing

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a user's slow computer. The user mentions they received a call from 'Windows Support' saying their computer had a virus. The user gave the caller remote access to 'fix' it. Now, the computer is running slower and has strange pop-ups. What is the most likely consequence of this social engineering attack?

Accepted Answer

The attacker installed a keylogger to steal credentials and sensitive data.. By giving remote access, the user likely allowed the attacker to install malware, such as ransomware, spyware, or a backdoor. The slow performance and pop-ups are symptoms of malware infection. The technician should immediately disconnect the computer from the network and perform a full security scan.

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The computer is now part of a botnet used for DDoS attacks.

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The computer's BIOS has been corrupted.

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The hard drive has been physically damaged.

Question 5

A user reports receiving an email that appears to be from their CEO, urgently requesting that they purchase $500 in gift cards and reply with the codes. The email address looks slightly off (e.g., ceo@cornpany.com instead of ceo@company.com). What type of social engineering attack is this?

Accepted Answer

Whaling. This is a whaling attack, a type of phishing that targets high-profile individuals or impersonates them to trick lower-level employees. The attacker used a spoofed email address to impersonate the CEO and create a sense of urgency.

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Spear phishing

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Vishing

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Tailgating

Question 6

A technician receives an email from what appears to be the company's CEO, asking for a list of all employee passwords for a 'security audit'. The email address is correct, but the tone and request are unusual. The technician suspects a social engineering attack. What is the best course of action?

Accepted Answer

Forward the email to the security team and do not respond.. This is likely a whaling or spear phishing attack impersonating the CEO. The technician should never share passwords and should verify the request through a separate communication channel (e.g., phone call or in-person) before taking any action. Reporting to the security team is also critical.

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Reply to the email asking for more details to confirm the request.

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Provide the list as requested, since the CEO has authority.

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Call the CEO immediately to verify the request.

Question 7

A receptionist at a company receives a call from someone claiming to be from the IT department. The caller says they need her password to perform an urgent server update. The receptionist provides the password. What type of social engineering attack is this?

Accepted Answer

Pretexting. This is a classic example of pretexting, where the attacker creates a fabricated scenario (pretext) to trick the victim into divulging sensitive information. The caller impersonated an IT staff member to establish trust and authority.

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Tailgating

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Phishing

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Baiting

Question 8

During a security audit, a technician notices that an unauthorized person is standing just behind an employee at the secure door, waiting for the employee to badge in so they can enter without badging themselves. What type of social engineering attack is being attempted?

Accepted Answer

Tailgating. This is tailgating (or piggybacking), where an unauthorized person follows an authorized individual into a restricted area without proper authentication. The attacker is exploiting the employee's politeness or lack of awareness.

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Pretexting

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Baiting

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Phishing

Question 9

A user calls the help desk because they received a pop-up on their screen claiming their computer is infected with a virus and to call a toll-free number for immediate support. The user did not call the number. What should the technician advise the user to do?

Accepted Answer

Close the pop-up and run a full antivirus scan.. This is a tech support scam, a form of social engineering that uses scare tactics (fake virus warnings) to trick users into calling a fake support line. The user should close the pop-up and run a security scan to ensure no malware was installed.

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Call the number to see if it's legitimate.

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Ignore the pop-up and continue working.

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Reboot the computer immediately.

Question 10

A technician is configuring a new employee's workstation. The employee mentions that a 'friendly IT guy' from the help desk called earlier and asked for their username and temporary password to 'pre-setup the account'. The employee provided the information. What should the technician do first?

Accepted Answer

Reset the employee's password and report the incident to the security team.. This is a social engineering attack where the attacker posed as IT support. The technician should immediately report the incident to the security team and flag the account as compromised, as the credentials are now in the hands of an attacker.

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Proceed with the setup as planned, since the employee already provided the info.

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Call the help desk to verify if they made the call.

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Tell the employee it was likely a test and to ignore it.

Question 11

An employee finds a USB drive labeled 'Employee Bonuses Q4' in the parking lot and plugs it into their work computer to see the contents. The computer immediately begins exhibiting erratic behavior. Which social engineering attack was executed?

Accepted Answer

Baiting. This is a classic baiting attack using physical media. The attacker left a USB drive with an enticing label (bait) in a location where an employee would find it, hoping they would plug it in and execute malware.

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Phishing

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Pretexting

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Tailgating

Question 12

A user reports receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be from 'Microsoft Support' saying their computer has a virus and asking for remote access to fix it. The user did not grant access. What type of attack was attempted?

Accepted Answer

Vishing. This is a vishing (voice phishing) attack, a social engineering technique where the attacker uses phone calls to trick victims into providing sensitive information or remote access. Legitimate companies like Microsoft do not make unsolicited support calls.

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Phishing

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Smishing

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Pretexting

Question 13

A technician receives an email that appears to be from the company's HR department asking them to click a link to update their direct deposit information. The email contains several grammatical errors and the sender's domain is 'company-hr.com' instead of the official 'company.com'. What is the most effective way to confirm this is a phishing attempt?

Accepted Answer

Forward the email to the company's security team for analysis.. The most reliable method is to verify the email's authenticity by checking the full email header and sender domain. Hovering over the link to see the actual URL can also reveal a phishing site, but checking the header confirms the source.

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Reply to the email asking for verification.

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Click the link to see if it looks legitimate.

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Call the phone number listed in the email signature.

Question 14

A receptionist holds the door for a person carrying a large box, assuming they work in the building. Later, that person is seen plugging a USB drive into a workstation in the finance department. Which social engineering technique was most likely used to gain initial access?

Accepted Answer

Tailgating. Tailgating (or piggybacking) exploits human politeness and the natural instinct to hold doors for others, allowing unauthorized physical access. This attack often precedes other malicious actions like planting malware via USB.

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Phishing

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Pretexting

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Baiting

Question 15

A technician is troubleshooting a printer issue and finds a sticky note under the keyboard with the domain admin password written on it. The user says they kept it there 'for convenience.' Which social engineering attack does this practice most enable?

Accepted Answer

Shoulder surfing. Writing down passwords in plain sight is a security risk that directly enables shoulder surfing or dumpster diving. An attacker who sees the note can easily gain unauthorized access.

Answer

Phishing

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Tailgating

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Baiting