easyMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
FC0-U71 Tailgating Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are examples of social engineering attacks?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common trap is to think that only phishing is a social engineering attack, but physical techniques like tailgating and shoulder surfing are also social engineering. Another trap is confusing spoofing (a technical attack) with social engineering.
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
✓
Tailgating
Tailgating (option C) is a social engineering attack where an unauthorized person follows an authorized individual into a restricted area. Shoulder surfing (option E) is a social engineering attack where an attacker observes a victim's screen or keyboard to obtain sensitive information. Phishing (option D) is a social engineering attack that uses deceptive emails or websites to trick users into revealing personal information. All three rely on psychological manipulation or human behavior. Adware (option A) is a type of malware, and spoofing (option B) is a technical attack involving impersonation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Adware
Why it's wrong here
Adware is a type of malware that displays unwanted advertisements; it is not a social engineering attack.
- ✗
Spoofing
Why it's wrong here
Spoofing is a technical attack where an attacker impersonates a trusted entity through false IP, email, or DNS; it does not rely on human manipulation.
- ✓
Tailgating
Why this is correct
Tailgating is a classic social engineering attack that exploits human courtesy to gain physical access.
- ✓
Phishing
Why this is correct
Phishing is a social engineering attack, but in this question the two correct answers are tailgating and shoulder surfing, so phishing is not selected.
- ✓
Shoulder surfing
Why this is correct
Shoulder surfing is a social engineering attack where an attacker directly observes a victim's screen or keyboard to steal information.
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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.