The correct answer is tailgating, a social engineering technique that exploits human politeness and the natural instinct to hold doors for others, allowing an unauthorized person to gain physical access to a restricted area. In this scenario, the attacker leveraged the receptionist’s assumption that someone carrying a large box must be an employee, bypassing security without any credentials. On the CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 exam, tailgating questions often test your ability to distinguish it from other attacks like phishing or baiting, with a common trap being to confuse it with shoulder surfing—remember that tailgating is about physical entry, not observation. A useful memory tip is to think of “tailgating” like following a car through a gate; the attacker literally rides on the coattails of an authorized person’s courtesy.
220-1202 Social Engineering Attacks Practice Question
This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of social engineering attacks. 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.
A receptionist holds the door for a person carrying a large box, assuming they work in the building. Later, that person is seen plugging a USB drive into a workstation in the finance department. Which social engineering technique was most likely used to gain initial access?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Tailgating
Tailgating (or piggybacking) exploits human politeness and the natural instinct to hold doors for others, allowing unauthorized physical access. This attack often precedes other malicious actions like planting malware via USB.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Phishing
Why it's wrong here
Phishing involves digital deception, not physical access through following someone into a building.
✗
Pretexting
Why it's wrong here
Pretexting involves fabricating a scenario to obtain information, not simply following someone through a door.
✓
Tailgating
Why this is correct
Tailgating occurs when an unauthorized person follows an authorized person into a restricted area without proper authentication.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Baiting
Why it's wrong here
Baiting involves offering something enticing (like a free USB drive) to trick victims, not physically following someone.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Pretexting involves fabricating a scenario to obtain information, not simply following someone through a door.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 220-1202 question in full detail.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related 220-1202 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Social Engineering Attacks — This question tests Social Engineering Attacks — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Tailgating — Tailgating (or piggybacking) exploits human politeness and the natural instinct to hold doors for others, allowing unauthorized physical access. This attack often precedes other malicious actions like planting malware via USB.
What should I do if I get this 220-1202 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related 220-1202 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. During a routine security audit, a technician discovers that an unknown person has been using a badge to enter the building after hours. The badge belongs to a former employee who left the company six months ago. Which type of social engineering attack likely enabled this unauthorized access?
medium
A.Phishing
✓ B.Tailgating
C.Dumpster diving
D.Shoulder surfing
Why B: This describes tailgating, where an attacker follows an authorized person into a secure area without proper credentials. The use of a former employee's badge suggests the attacker may have obtained it through theft or social engineering. Proper badge deactivation upon termination is a key countermeasure.
Variation 2. During a security audit, a technician notices that an unauthorized person is standing just behind an employee at the secure door, waiting for the employee to badge in so they can enter without badging themselves. What type of social engineering attack is being attempted?
medium
A.Pretexting
B.Baiting
✓ C.Tailgating
D.Phishing
Why C: This is tailgating (or piggybacking), where an unauthorized person follows an authorized individual into a restricted area without proper authentication. The attacker is exploiting the employee's politeness or lack of awareness.
Last reviewed: Jun 19, 2026
Question Discussion
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