200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
An attacker sends an email that appears to come from the company's IT department, asking the recipient to click a link and reset their password due to a security breach. Which type of social engineering is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'phishing' with 'spear phishing' because both involve email, but the key differentiator is that spear phishing is targeted and personalized, while the question describes a generic, untargeted email sent to a broad audience.
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
✓
Phishing
B is correct because the attack uses email as the delivery vector to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link and divulging credentials. This matches the definition of phishing, which is a broad social engineering technique that employs deceptive electronic communications (typically email) to steal sensitive information. The email impersonates the IT department to create a false sense of urgency, a hallmark of phishing campaigns.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Vishing
Why it's wrong here
Vishing uses voice calls.
- ✓
Phishing
Why this is correct
A mass email asking for credentials is classic phishing.
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Pretexting
Why it's wrong here
Pretexting involves creating a false scenario to gain information.
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Spear phishing
Why it's wrong here
Spear phishing is targeted; the scenario is generic, so general phishing.
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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.