- A
Pretexting, because the attacker is inventing a believable support story to gain trust.
The attacker is using a fabricated identity and a credible business scenario to manipulate the help desk into revealing a verification code. That is classic pretexting. The known name and ticket number are used to increase legitimacy, but the key behavior is the false story intended to bypass normal trust checks.
- B
Watering hole, because the attacker is targeting a trusted web service used by employees.
Why wrong: A watering hole attack compromises a website to infect visitors. This scenario is a live phone-based deception attempt instead.
- C
Tailgating, because the attacker is attempting to bypass a physical security barrier.
Why wrong: Tailgating involves physical entry behind an authorized person. There is no physical access attempt in this scenario.
- D
Whaling, because the attacker is targeting a high-value executive account directly.
Why wrong: Whaling is a focused phishing attack against senior executives. Here the attacker is targeting the help desk through a support scam.
Quick Answer
The answer is pretexting, because the attacker fabricates a believable story about a SaaS tenant migration to trick the help desk into revealing a one-time verification code. This social engineering technique relies on constructing a false pretext—here, a fake support scenario involving the administrator’s name and a ticket number—to build trust and manipulate the target into bypassing security protocols. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, pretexting questions often test your ability to distinguish it from phishing or baiting by focusing on the invented narrative rather than a malicious link or lure. A common trap is confusing pretexting with impersonation, but pretexting always involves a crafted story or role to gain cooperation. Memory tip: think “pretext equals pretext”—the attacker creates a false context or excuse to extract information.
SY0-701 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. 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 caller claims to be from the company's SaaS provider and says a tenant migration will fail unless the help desk reads back a one-time verification code sent to an administrator's phone. The caller knows the admin's name and ticket number. What attack technique is being used?
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
Pretexting, because the attacker is inventing a believable support story to gain trust.
The attacker is using pretexting by fabricating a plausible scenario (a tenant migration requiring a verification code) to manipulate the help desk into divulging sensitive information. This social engineering technique relies on building false trust through invented details like the admin's name and ticket number, rather than exploiting technical vulnerabilities. The goal is to obtain the one-time verification code, which could be used for unauthorized access or account takeover.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Pretexting, because the attacker is inventing a believable support story to gain trust.
Why this is correct
The attacker is using a fabricated identity and a credible business scenario to manipulate the help desk into revealing a verification code. That is classic pretexting. The known name and ticket number are used to increase legitimacy, but the key behavior is the false story intended to bypass normal trust checks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Watering hole, because the attacker is targeting a trusted web service used by employees.
Why it's wrong here
A watering hole attack compromises a website to infect visitors. This scenario is a live phone-based deception attempt instead.
- ✗
Tailgating, because the attacker is attempting to bypass a physical security barrier.
Why it's wrong here
Tailgating involves physical entry behind an authorized person. There is no physical access attempt in this scenario.
- ✗
Whaling, because the attacker is targeting a high-value executive account directly.
Why it's wrong here
Whaling is a focused phishing attack against senior executives. Here the attacker is targeting the help desk through a support scam.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse pretexting with whaling because both involve impersonation, but whaling targets high-level executives directly, while pretexting uses a fabricated scenario to trick any employee into performing an action or revealing information.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
A watering hole attack compromises a website to infect visitors. This scenario is a live phone-based deception attempt instead.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Pretexting often leverages OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) to gather details like employee names, ticket numbers, or internal processes, making the story more convincing. In this scenario, the one-time verification code is likely a TOTP (Time-Based One-Time Password) or SMS-based code used for multi-factor authentication (MFA). If the help desk reads it back, the attacker can use it to complete an authentication session, bypassing MFA protections—a common tactic in MFA fatigue or social engineering attacks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — This question tests Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Pretexting, because the attacker is inventing a believable support story to gain trust. — The attacker is using pretexting by fabricating a plausible scenario (a tenant migration requiring a verification code) to manipulate the help desk into divulging sensitive information. This social engineering technique relies on building false trust through invented details like the admin's name and ticket number, rather than exploiting technical vulnerabilities. The goal is to obtain the one-time verification code, which could be used for unauthorized access or account takeover.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A caller says they are from the help desk and need the employee's MFA code to "complete a password reset". Which social engineering technique is being used?
easy- A.Phishing
- ✓ B.Pretexting
- C.DDoS
- D.SQL injection
Why B: Pretexting is a social engineering technique where an attacker fabricates a scenario (the pretext) to trick a victim into divulging sensitive information. In this case, the attacker pretends to be from the help desk and invokes a false password reset procedure to obtain the employee's MFA code, which should never be shared. The MFA code is a time-based one-time password (TOTP) or push notification response that authenticates the user, not a tool for password resets.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.
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