CS0-003 Practice Question: MFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion.
This CS0-003 practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. A key principle to apply: mFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion.. 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 user receives repeated MFA prompts and eventually approves one they did not initiate. Which behaviour should the analyst classify this as? In the detection engineering phase, Which detection or tuning approach would reduce noise without losing the signal?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
MFA fatigue or push-bombing attack
The scenario describes MFA fatigue (also called push-bombing), where an attacker repeatedly sends MFA push notifications to a user until the user, annoyed or confused, approves one. This is a social engineering technique that exploits human behavior, not a technical vulnerability. Option C correctly identifies this attack pattern, which is a known tactic in credential-stuffing and account-takeover campaigns.
Key principle: MFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
DNS tunnelling
Why it's wrong here
DNS tunnelling exfiltrates data through DNS queries, not MFA prompts.
✗
SSL certificate expiry
Why it's wrong here
Certificate expiry does not trigger repeated user approval prompts.
✓
MFA fatigue or push-bombing attack
Why this is correct
Repeated unsolicited prompts that lead to approval are characteristic of MFA fatigue attacks.
Related concept
MFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion.
✗
Password spraying only
Why it's wrong here
Password spraying may precede the prompts, but the repeated push approval tactic is MFA fatigue.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between technical exploits (like DNS tunnelling) and human-factor attacks (like MFA fatigue), so candidates may mistakenly choose a technical-sounding option when the question describes user behavior rather than a protocol-level attack.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
MFA fatigue attacks often target organizations using push-based MFA (e.g., Duo, Microsoft Authenticator) where the user can approve with a single tap. Attackers automate push requests via compromised credentials or session hijacking, sometimes sending dozens of notifications in minutes. Detection engineering should focus on anomalous push-approval rates (e.g., >5 pushes in 10 minutes) and user-reported incidents, while tuning out legitimate retries due to network latency or user error.
KKey Concepts to Remember
MFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion.
Attackers typically have initial credentials before launching push-bombing.
Detection involves monitoring for high volumes of failed or uninitiated MFA requests.
Tuning approaches include rate limiting MFA requests per user or IP.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
MFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An employee at a financial services firm receives an email that appears to come from the IT helpdesk, asking them to reset their password via a link. The link leads to a convincing fake portal that harvests credentials. Security teams use phishing simulations and security-awareness training to reduce this attack vector. Questions like this test whether you can identify social engineering techniques and appropriate controls.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CS0-003 question in full detail.
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — MFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: MFA fatigue or push-bombing attack — The scenario describes MFA fatigue (also called push-bombing), where an attacker repeatedly sends MFA push notifications to a user until the user, annoyed or confused, approves one. This is a social engineering technique that exploits human behavior, not a technical vulnerability. Option C correctly identifies this attack pattern, which is a known tactic in credential-stuffing and account-takeover campaigns.
What should I do if I get this CS0-003 question wrong?
Review mFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion., then practise related CS0-003 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
MFA fatigue exploits user annoyance and confusion.
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Question Discussion
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