Several employees report receiving SMS messages that appear to come from the corporate service desk. The text says, 'Your password expires today. Review the notice here,' followed by a shortened link that opens a fake sign-in page on a phone browser. Which type of attack is this?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Best answer
Smishing
Smishing is phishing delivered through SMS or other text messaging platforms. The message uses urgency and a link to a fake login page to steal credentials.
Distractor review
Pretexting
Pretexting is a broader impersonation tactic, but the defining feature here is the SMS delivery channel and fake link.
Distractor review
Tailgating
Tailgating is a physical security issue where an unauthorized person follows someone into a restricted area.
Distractor review
Spoofing
Spoofing may be part of the technique, but it is not the best overall label for a text-message credential theft attempt.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A laptop is suspected of being used in a malware incident. It is still powered on and connected to Wi-Fi. What should the responder do before shutting it down?
Question 2
An employee reports a ransomware note on a file server. The server is still powered on, shares are still being accessed, and management wants service restored as quickly as possible. What should the incident response team do first?
Question 3
An employee reports a ransomware note on a finance laptop. The laptop is still powered on, connected to Wi-Fi, and the user says they were just working in a spreadsheet. Management wants the fastest safe response that also preserves evidence. What should the responder do first?
Question 4
You are handed a company laptop suspected in an insider theft case. Legal says the evidence may be needed in court. Which action best preserves admissibility?
Question 5
A developer wants to reduce the risk of SQL injection in a new customer search form. Which two changes are the best mitigations? Select two.
Question 6
A branch office uses a flat LAN, and a compromise on one user workstation could spread quickly to finance systems. Management wants finance workstations isolated from general users, but finance staff still need access to a central finance application and network printer. What is the best design change?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Smishing — Smishing is the correct answer because the attack arrives by text message and attempts to drive the victim to a fraudulent sign-in page. The message uses a common social engineering pattern: urgency, authority, and a short link that hides the true destination. Security teams should warn users not to trust login prompts from text messages and should verify service messages through official portals or internal contact channels. Why others are wrong: Pretexting describes the impersonation story behind the attack, but not the specific SMS delivery method. Tailgating is a physical access tactic and does not apply to mobile messaging. Spoofing is a supporting technique that may be used to fake the sender, but the most accurate category here is smishing, which specifically means phishing through text messages.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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