220-1102 Practice Question: A technician receives an email that appears to be…

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.

Answer analysis

Why the other options are wrong

Understanding why incorrect options are tempting is as important as knowing the correct answer.

• ✗

  Whaling

  Whaling targets high-profile executives like the CFO; here the target is the technician, so it is not whaling.

• ✗

  Vishing

  Vishing uses voice calls, not email.

• ✗

  Shoulder surfing

  Shoulder surfing involves observing someone's screen or keyboard, not sending an email.

Technical deep dive

How to think about this question

The scenario describes a highly targeted email attack, which is the hallmark of spear phishing. In this attack, the perpetrator has gathered specific information about the organization, such as the CFO's name and signature, to craft a convincing email. The goal is to trick a specific individual (the technician) into performing an action that benefits the attacker, in this case, an unauthorized wire transfer. The key differentiator from general phishing is the level of personalization and research involved, making the email appear legitimate to the recipient. The attacker leverages social engineering principles by creating a sense of urgency and authority, exploiting the technician's trust in internal communications and their perceived obligation to comply with a request from a senior executive. While the email purports to be from a high-level executive (the CFO), the target of the attack is the technician, not the CFO themselves. This distinction is crucial for identifying spear phishing over whaling. Whaling specifically targets C-suite executives or other high-value individuals within an organization, aiming to compromise their accounts or leverage their authority directly. Here, the CFO's identity is impersonated to manipulate a lower-level employee. The use of email immediately rules out vishing, which relies on voice communication, and shoulder surfing, which is a physical observation technique. The altered reply-to address is a classic indicator of a spoofed email, a common tactic in spear phishing to prevent direct communication with the legitimate sender and to route replies back to the attacker.

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