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FC0-U71 Practice Question: An employee receives an email with an attachment…
An employee receives an email with an attachment that claims to be an invoice. The employee is unsure of the sender. What is the best practice?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates think replying or forwarding is harmless, but CompTIA tests the understanding that any interaction with an untrusted email—even a reply—can expose the user to phishing or confirm a live target, while opening the attachment is the most direct path to a security breach.
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
✓
Delete the email and report it to the IT department.
The safest response to an unsolicited email with an attachment from an unknown sender is to delete it and report it to the IT department. This follows the principle of least privilege and zero-trust security, as opening or interacting with the attachment could trigger a malware payload, such as a macro virus or ransomware, that exploits vulnerabilities in the email client or operating system.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Delete the email and report it to the IT department.
Why this is correct
Deleting removes the threat; reporting allows IT to warn others.
- ✗
Forward the email to a personal email for later review.
Why it's wrong here
Forwarding outside the corporate network may bypass security filters.
- ✗
Reply to the sender requesting confirmation.
Why it's wrong here
Replying alerts the attacker that the address is valid, increasing spam risk.
- ✗
Open the attachment to verify its contents.
Why it's wrong here
Unknown attachments may contain malware; opening them compromises security.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.