Quick Answer
The answer is spear phishing, smishing, and vishing, as these three are classic examples of social engineering attack types that exploit human psychology rather than technical flaws. Spear phishing targets specific individuals with personalized emails, while smishing uses SMS text messages to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or clicking malicious links, and vishing leverages voice calls to extract credentials. On the Cisco CyberOps Associate 200-201 exam, this concept tests your ability to distinguish social engineering from technical attacks like buffer overflows or SQL injection—a common trap is confusing phishing with spear phishing, but remember that spear phishing is more targeted. A useful memory tip is to think of the "three S's": Spear, Smish, and Vish, all relying on deception, not code.
This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of security concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which THREE are examples of social engineering attacks? (Select three.)
Man-in-the-middle
Why wrong: MitM intercepts communications technically.
Smishing
Smishing uses SMS messages for deception.
SQL injection
Why wrong: SQL injection exploits database queries.
Phishing
Phishing uses deceptive emails to obtain credentials.
Spear phishing
Spear phishing targets specific individuals.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Smishing
Smishing is a form of social engineering attack that uses SMS (Short Message Service) text messages to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or clicking malicious links. Unlike technical attacks that exploit system vulnerabilities, smishing relies on psychological manipulation, making it a classic social engineering vector.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Man-in-the-middle
Why it's wrong here
MitM intercepts communications technically.
Smishing
Why this is correct
Smishing uses SMS messages for deception.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SQL injection
Why it's wrong here
SQL injection exploits database queries.
Phishing
Why this is correct
Phishing uses deceptive emails to obtain credentials.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Spear phishing
Why this is correct
Spear phishing targets specific individuals.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between technical attacks (like MITM or SQL injection) and social engineering attacks (like smishing, phishing, and spear phishing), where the trap is that candidates confuse a technical attack vector with a human-targeted manipulation technique.
Detailed technical explanation
Smishing attacks often leverage URL shorteners or spoofed sender IDs to bypass initial suspicion, and may use social engineering pretexts like 'account verification' or 'package delivery failure' to create urgency. Under the hood, the attacker may set up a fake login page that captures credentials via a POST request, then uses those credentials for account takeover or lateral movement within an organization.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the 200-201 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Security Concepts — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Security Concepts practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All 200-201 questions
507 questions across all exam domains
Cisco CyberOps Associate 200-201 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
200-201 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Security Policies and Procedures.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Security Concepts.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Security Monitoring.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Host-Based Analysis.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Network Intrusion Analysis.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to 200-201 fundamentals.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to 200-201 scenario.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to 200-201 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Security Concepts — This question tests Security Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Smishing — Smishing is a form of social engineering attack that uses SMS (Short Message Service) text messages to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or clicking malicious links. Unlike technical attacks that exploit system vulnerabilities, smishing relies on psychological manipulation, making it a classic social engineering vector.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.