hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1102 Practice Question: During a security audit, a technician finds that…
During a security audit, a technician finds that a user's workstation was infected with malware after the user inserted a USB drive found in the parking lot. The drive was labeled 'Employee Salary Info Q4'. What social engineering principle did the attacker exploit?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse baiting with pretexting because both involve deception, but baiting specifically uses a physical lure (like a USB drive) to trigger an action, whereas pretexting relies on a fabricated story or identity to gain information.
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
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Baiting
Baiting is the correct answer because the attacker exploited the victim's curiosity by leaving a malware-infected USB drive in a visible location, labeled with an enticing message ('Employee Salary Info Q4'). When the user inserted the drive, the malware executed automatically (e.g., via Autorun.inf in Windows), compromising the workstation. This is a classic baiting attack, which relies on offering something desirable to trick the victim into performing a risky action.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Scarcity
Why it's wrong here
Scarcity, in the context of social engineering, exploits a victim's fear of missing out or the perception of limited availability to pressure them into immediate action. Attackers might create a sense of urgency around a fake offer or a perceived limited resource to bypass critical thinking and induce a hasty decision. This technique relies on psychological manipulation related to supply and demand, which is distinct from the passive temptation presented by a found physical object like a USB drive.
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Baiting
Why this is correct
Baiting is a social engineering attack where an attacker leaves a physical device, such as a USB flash drive, CD/DVD, or even a malicious mobile charging station, infected with malware in a public or semi-public location. The goal is to entice an unsuspecting victim, driven by curiosity or the desire for free content, to pick up the device and insert it into their computer or connect to it, thereby executing the malicious payload. This method directly exploits human curiosity and the inherent trust in physical objects to compromise a system.
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Pretexting
Why it's wrong here
Pretexting is a social engineering technique where an attacker invents a believable, often urgent, scenario or "pretext" to manipulate a victim into divulging sensitive information or performing an action. This typically involves direct, targeted interaction, such as a phone call or email, where the attacker impersonates a trusted authority figure (e.g., IT support, law enforcement, a colleague) to establish credibility and extract specific data. This method relies on a fabricated narrative and direct communication, which is distinct from a passive physical lure.
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Tailgating
Why it's wrong here
Tailgating, also known as piggybacking, is a physical security breach where an unauthorized individual gains entry into a restricted area by closely following an authorized person. This typically occurs when the authorized person holds a door open or grants access, allowing the attacker to slip in without proper authentication or credential verification. This method is focused on bypassing physical access controls to gain unauthorized entry into a building or secure zone, which is unrelated to the digital compromise initiated by a malicious USB device.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Editions and Features
Key term
Social engineering
Social engineering is the psychological manipulation of people into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security.
Key term
Universal Serial Bus
A Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a standard interface that allows you to connect devices like keyboards, mice, storage drives, and printers to a computer for data transfer and power delivery.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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