200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
An attacker sends a fraudulent email that appears to come from the company's IT department, requesting that the recipient click a link and enter their login credentials. Which type of social engineering attack is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between generic phishing and spear phishing, where the trap is that candidates confuse a broad phishing email with a targeted one, but the question lacks any indication of personalization or specific targeting, making 'Phishing' the correct choice over 'Spear phishing'.
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
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Phishing
This is a phishing attack because the attacker uses a fraudulent email that impersonates a trusted entity (the IT department) to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link and entering sensitive login credentials. Phishing is a broad category of social engineering that relies on deceptive electronic communications, typically email, to harvest credentials or deliver malware.
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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Vishing
Why it's wrong here
Vishing is voice phishing conducted over telephone calls, so it cannot describe an email-based credential lure. It would be correct if the attacker phoned the recipient posing as IT support and talked them into revealing credentials or installing remote software.
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Phishing
Why this is correct
Phishing uses fraudulent emails impersonating a trusted entity, such as the IT department, to trick recipients into clicking links and surrendering credentials. This matches the stem's constraint of a spoofed internal email harvesting login details.
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Pretexting
Why it's wrong here
Pretexting is inventing a fabricated scenario to manipulate a victim into divulging information, typically through conversation. The stem's mechanism is a fraudulent email with a credential-harvesting link, which is phishing; pretexting would apply if the attacker posed as an auditor or vendor to extract data verbally.
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Spear phishing
Why it's wrong here
Spear phishing targets specific individuals with tailored messages, but the stem describes a generic email impersonating IT sent to a recipient, which is plain phishing. Spear phishing would be correct if the attacker researched the victim and personalised the lure with their name, role or projects.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.