350-701 Content Security Practice Question
During a phishing simulation, an employee receives an email that appears to be from the CEO requesting an urgent wire transfer. This type of attack is known as:
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a targeted attack where the attacker impersonates a senior executive to request fraudulent transfers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Whaling
Why it's wrong here
Whaling targets high-profile executives but is a subset of spear phishing; BEC is more specific to impersonation for financial fraud.
- ✓
Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Why this is correct
BEC involves impersonating executives to request money transfers.
- ✗
Spear phishing
Why it's wrong here
Spear phishing targets specific individuals but often uses credential harvesting, not impersonation for wire transfers.
- ✗
Malspam
Why it's wrong here
Malspam is spam with malware attachments, not impersonation.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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