220-1102 Practice Question: A user receives a text message on their…

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.

• ✗

  Phishing

  Phishing is typically conducted via email, not SMS. This attack uses text messaging, which is smishing.

• ✗

  Vishing

  Vishing (voice phishing) uses phone calls, not text messages. This attack is via SMS.

• ✗

  Whaling

  Whaling targets senior executives, typically via email, and the technique here is a text message, not whaling.

Technical deep dive

How to think about this question

Smishing is a specific form of social engineering that leverages SMS (Short Message Service) text messages to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or performing actions that benefit the attacker. In this scenario, the fraudulent request for gift cards delivered via a text message directly aligns with the definition of smishing. Attackers often spoof sender IDs or use numbers that appear legitimate to increase their chances of success, preying on the trust users place in their mobile devices and the perceived urgency of text communications. The key differentiator here is the delivery mechanism: the attack vector is explicitly a text message, not an email or a phone call. While phishing is a broader category of social engineering, it traditionally refers to attacks conducted via email. Vishing, on the other hand, specifically utilizes voice communication, such as phone calls, to execute its attacks. Whaling is a highly targeted form of phishing or smishing that focuses on high-value targets, typically senior executives or individuals with significant authority, often using highly personalized and sophisticated lures. Although the target in this question is a company employee and the message purports to be from the CEO, making it a targeted attack, the primary classification is determined by the delivery method (text message), which is smishing, rather than the target's position (whaling) or a different delivery method (phishing/vishing). The user's recognition that the number was not the CEO's known number is a crucial indicator of a potential smishing attempt.

More questions from this exam

Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

Keep practising

More 220-1102 practice questions

• →A change advisory board (CAB) approved a standard change to update antivirus definitions on all servers. The technician…
• →A company's change management policy requires all server changes to be approved by the Change Advisory Board (CAB). A te…
• →A company is implementing a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy and needs to ensure that corporate data on employee mobi…
• →A company requires employees to present both a smart card and a PIN to log into their workstations. Which authentication…
• →A company requires all Windows 10 workstations to be able to join an Active Directory domain. Which edition of Windows 1…
• →A company wants to allow employees to securely access internal resources from home via the internet. Which method provid…