easyMultiple Choice
FC0-U71 Practice Question: A security guard notices an individual following…
A security guard notices an individual following closely behind an employee through a secured door without swiping a badge. This scenario is an example of which type of security threat?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse physical security threats with cyber threats; candidates might pick 'shoulder surfing' because both involve close proximity, but shoulder surfing is about observing information, not unauthorized entry.
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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Tailgating
Tailgating is the physical security breach where an unauthorized person follows an authorized individual through a secured entry point without presenting their own credentials. In this scenario, the individual closely follows an employee through a secured door without swiping a badge, which exactly matches the definition of tailgating. This threat exploits human politeness or inattention and does not require technical hacking.
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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Shoulder surfing
Why it's wrong here
Shoulder surfing requires an observer visually capturing credentials or PINs, such as watching a keypad or screen. Tailgating, not shoulder surfing, describes following someone through a secured door. Shoulder surfing would be correct if the guard saw someone reading a badge code or password over a shoulder.
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Phishing
Why it's wrong here
Phishing is a social-engineering attack delivered via email, SMS or fraudulent sites to harvest credentials. No message, link or credential capture occurs here; the intruder physically walks through the door. Phishing would be correct if the employee received a deceptive email prompting them to reveal login details.
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Tailgating
Why this is correct
Tailgating describes an unauthorised person physically following an authenticated individual through a controlled access point without presenting their own credentials, exactly matching the guard's observation of someone slipping through a secured door behind a badged employee.
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Malware
Why it's wrong here
Tailgating is a physical social-engineering intrusion; malware is malicious software executing on a system. It tempts because both are security threats, and would be correct if the guard had observed suspicious code, a ransomware pop-up, or an infected USB device rather than unauthorised physical entry.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This FC0-U71 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the FC0-U71 exam.