- A
Deploying a stronger email spam filter that blocks all emails from unrecognized domains
Why wrong: Email filters may catch known malicious domains, but lookalike domains (e.g., 'cornpany.com') are often new or trusted by the filter, so this control is not consistently effective against CEO fraud.
- B
Requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all corporate email accounts
Why wrong: MFA protects against credential theft, but in this attack the CFO's account is not compromised; the attacker is impersonating the CEO via a spoofed email. MFA does not verify the authenticity of the sender's email address.
- C
Implementing a policy that all financial transfers over a certain threshold must be verbally verified via a known phone number before execution
An out-of-band verification procedure, such as calling the requester on a known phone number, directly addresses the impersonation risk by confirming the request through an independent communication channel.
- D
Enabling Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption for all outgoing email communications
Why wrong: TLS encryption protects the confidentiality of email content in transit, but it does not authenticate the sender's identity or prevent spoofing, so it would not stop this attack.
SY0-701 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations Practice Question
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. 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 CFO at a mid-sized company receives an urgent email that appears to come from the CEO's email address, requesting an immediate wire transfer of $50,000 to a new vendor for a time-sensitive project. The email address displayed is 'ceo@cornpany.com' instead of the legitimate 'ceo@company.com'. The CFO follows the instruction and initiates the transfer. Later, the real CEO denies sending such a request. Which of the following security controls would have been MOST effective in preventing this type of attack from succeeding?
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
Implementing a policy that all financial transfers over a certain threshold must be verbally verified via a known phone number before execution
Option C is correct because the attack is a business email compromise (BEC) using a lookalike domain. A policy requiring verbal verification via a known phone number adds a human out-of-band check that bypasses the email channel entirely, preventing the fraudulent transfer even if the email appears legitimate. This control directly addresses the social engineering aspect of the attack, which technical controls alone cannot fully mitigate.
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.
- ✗
Deploying a stronger email spam filter that blocks all emails from unrecognized domains
Why it's wrong here
Email filters may catch known malicious domains, but lookalike domains (e.g., 'cornpany.com') are often new or trusted by the filter, so this control is not consistently effective against CEO fraud.
When this WOULD be correct
In a scenario where an organization receives a high volume of phishing emails from completely unknown or newly registered domains, and the attack relies on the recipient not recognizing the sender's domain, a stronger spam filter blocking all emails from unrecognized domains would be most effective.
- ✗
Requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all corporate email accounts
Why it's wrong here
MFA protects against credential theft, but in this attack the CFO's account is not compromised; the attacker is impersonating the CEO via a spoofed email. MFA does not verify the authenticity of the sender's email address.
When this WOULD be correct
In a scenario where an attacker gains access to a legitimate executive's email account (e.g., via phishing) and uses it to send fraudulent wire transfer requests, MFA would prevent the initial account compromise, thus stopping the attack.
- ✓
Implementing a policy that all financial transfers over a certain threshold must be verbally verified via a known phone number before execution
Why this is correct
An out-of-band verification procedure, such as calling the requester on a known phone number, directly addresses the impersonation risk by confirming the request through an independent communication channel.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enabling Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption for all outgoing email communications
Why it's wrong here
TLS encryption protects the confidentiality of email content in transit, but it does not authenticate the sender's identity or prevent spoofing, so it would not stop this attack.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where the threat is interception of sensitive financial data during email transmission, such as an attacker capturing unencrypted emails containing wire transfer instructions. In that case, enabling TLS would prevent the attacker from reading the content.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SY0-701 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Implementing a policy that all financial transfers over a certain threshold must be verbally verified via a known phone number before executionCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
An out-of-band verification procedure, such as calling the requester on a known phone number, directly addresses the impersonation risk by confirming the request through an independent communication channel.
✗Deploying a stronger email spam filter that blocks all emails from unrecognized domainsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The email came from a lookalike domain ('cornpany.com'), not an unrecognized domain; a spam filter blocking unrecognized domains would not catch this because the domain is similar to a known one, and the filter might not block it if the domain is not in the blocklist.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a scenario where an organization receives a high volume of phishing emails from completely unknown or newly registered domains, and the attack relies on the recipient not recognizing the sender's domain, a stronger spam filter blocking all emails from unrecognized domains would be most effective.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that any email from an external or suspicious domain should be blocked, but they overlook that the attack uses a domain that is very similar to a legitimate one, which would bypass typical spam filters.
✗Requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all corporate email accountsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
MFA protects against unauthorized access to email accounts, but in this attack, the email came from a spoofed domain (ceo@cornpany.com), not a compromised account. The CFO was not tricked by a lack of MFA but by a deceptive sender address.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a scenario where an attacker gains access to a legitimate executive's email account (e.g., via phishing) and uses it to send fraudulent wire transfer requests, MFA would prevent the initial account compromise, thus stopping the attack.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates often associate MFA with preventing all email-based attacks, overlooking that this specific attack relies on domain spoofing rather than account takeover.
✗Enabling Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption for all outgoing email communicationsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
TLS encryption protects data in transit from eavesdropping but does not verify the sender's identity or prevent spoofed email addresses, so it would not stop a phishing attack that uses a lookalike domain.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where the threat is interception of sensitive financial data during email transmission, such as an attacker capturing unencrypted emails containing wire transfer instructions. In that case, enabling TLS would prevent the attacker from reading the content.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse encryption with authentication, thinking that securing the communication channel also verifies the sender's legitimacy, or they may overestimate the scope of TLS protections.
Analysis generated from the official SY0-701blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose a technical control like MFA or spam filters, overlooking that the attack exploits human trust and domain spoofing rather than account compromise, so the most effective control is a procedural one that bypasses the email channel entirely.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
BEC attacks often exploit the lack of email authentication protocols like DMARC, DKIM, and SPF, but even with these, lookalike domains can pass if the attacker configures them properly. The out-of-band verification (e.g., phone call to a known number) is a compensating control that breaks the attack chain by requiring a second communication channel independent of email. In real-world scenarios, organizations often combine this with a 'two-person rule' for financial transactions to further reduce risk.
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: Implementing a policy that all financial transfers over a certain threshold must be verbally verified via a known phone number before execution — Option C is correct because the attack is a business email compromise (BEC) using a lookalike domain. A policy requiring verbal verification via a known phone number adds a human out-of-band check that bypasses the email channel entirely, preventing the fraudulent transfer even if the email appears legitimate. This control directly addresses the social engineering aspect of the attack, which technical controls alone cannot fully mitigate.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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