200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
A security analyst discovers that a malicious actor is using a technique to gather information about employees by searching social media sites. Which type of attack is being performed?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing passive reconnaissance with social engineering — both involve people, but social engineering requires interaction/deception, while passive reconnaissance only observes public information without contacting the target.
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
✓
Passive reconnaissance
Passive reconnaissance involves gathering information about a target without directly interacting with its systems, such as searching public social media sites for employee details. Because the attacker only observes publicly available data and does not send packets or queries to the target's infrastructure, it is classified as passive. This contrasts with active reconnaissance, which involves direct interaction (e.g., port scanning).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Active reconnaissance
Why it's wrong here
Active reconnaissance involves direct interaction with the target, such as port scanning or banner grabbing, which leaves traces. Searching public social media is passive reconnaissance, performed without touching target systems, so the active label misclassifies the technique described.
- ✓
Passive reconnaissance
Why this is correct
Searching social media for employee details involves no direct interaction with the target's systems, so nothing is sent that could trigger detection. That absence of engagement with the target's infrastructure is precisely what makes it passive reconnaissance rather than active scanning.
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Denial of Service
Why it's wrong here
Denial of Service floods or exhausts a target's resources to disrupt availability; it gathers no employee information. The temptation lies in recognising malicious activity, yet the scenario's reconnaissance objective points to information gathering, not service disruption.
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Social engineering
Why it's wrong here
Social engineering manipulates people into divulging information or performing actions, typically through phishing or pretexting. Merely reading publicly posted social media content involves no interaction or manipulation, so it is reconnaissance rather than an influence-based attack.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.