This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: vishing is a social engineering attack conducted over the phone.. 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 help desk technician receives a phone call from someone who claims to be the CFO. The caller says they are traveling, cannot access their MFA app, and needs the technician to reset the account immediately. They also ask the technician to read back the one-time code sent to the executive's phone so they can "verify identity." What type of attack is this most likely?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Clue: "immediately / without restart"
Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
Pretexting
Why wrong: Pretexting involves a false story, but this option does not specifically capture the voice-call delivery method.
Vishing
Vishing is voice-based phishing, and this attack uses a phone call to pressure the technician.
Smishing
Why wrong: Smishing uses text messages, not a live phone conversation with the target.
Baiting
Why wrong: Baiting typically uses a lure, such as a free item or infected media, rather than a call.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Vishing
This is vishing (voice phishing) because the attacker uses a phone call to impersonate a trusted executive (the CFO) and manipulates the technician into bypassing MFA controls. The request to read back the one-time code is a classic social engineering tactic to capture a valid OTP, which the attacker can then use to authenticate as the CFO.
Key principle: Vishing is a social engineering attack conducted over the phone.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Pretexting
Why it's wrong here
Pretexting involves a false story, but this option does not specifically capture the voice-call delivery method.
Vishing
Why this is correct
Vishing is voice-based phishing, and this attack uses a phone call to pressure the technician.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "most likely", "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Vishing is a social engineering attack conducted over the phone.
Smishing
Why it's wrong here
Smishing uses text messages, not a live phone conversation with the target.
Baiting
Why it's wrong here
Baiting typically uses a lure, such as a free item or infected media, rather than a call.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse vishing with pretexting, but vishing is the specific attack vector (voice call) while pretexting is the broader deception technique—the question asks for the type of attack, which is vishing.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, MFA one-time codes (TOTP or HOTP) are time-synchronized or counter-based secrets derived from a shared seed. If the attacker obtains a valid OTP, they can replay it within its short validity window (typically 30 seconds for TOTP per RFC 6238) to authenticate as the victim. In real-world attacks, threat actors often combine vishing with SIM swapping to intercept SMS-based OTPs, but here they rely on social engineering to get the code directly.
Key takeaway
Vishing is a social engineering attack conducted over the phone.
Real-world example
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
Review vishing is a social engineering attack conducted over the phone., then practise related SY0-701 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — This question tests Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — Vishing is a social engineering attack conducted over the phone..
The correct answer is: Vishing — This is vishing (voice phishing) because the attacker uses a phone call to impersonate a trusted executive (the CFO) and manipulates the technician into bypassing MFA controls. The request to read back the one-time code is a classic social engineering tactic to capture a valid OTP, which the attacker can then use to authenticate as the CFO.
Review vishing is a social engineering attack conducted over the phone., then practise related SY0-701 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Yes — watch for: "most likely", "immediately / without restart". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Vishing is a social engineering attack conducted over the phone.
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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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