CEH Practice Question: Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks
A security analyst notices that users receive emails from a known vendor requesting urgent payment to a new bank account. The email domain is misspelled (e.g., vvendorfake.com). Which type of social engineering is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates confuse generic phishing (mass email) with spear phishing, which uses specific context like the known vendor name. In the EC-CEH exam, remember that spear phishing is targeted.
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
✓
Spear phishing
This is spear phishing because the attack is specifically targeted at users of a known vendor, using a misspelled domain (vvendorfake.com) to impersonate that vendor. Unlike generic phishing, spear phishing involves personalized context (e.g., referencing a known vendor and urgent payment) to increase credibility. The misspelled domain exploits users' trust in the legitimate vendor's name, making it a targeted social engineering technique.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Spear phishing
Why this is correct
Targeted emails with personalized context and spoofed domain indicate spear phishing.
- ✗
Whaling
Why it's wrong here
Whaling targets senior executives specifically, not general users.
- ✗
Phishing
Why it's wrong here
Phishing is broad; spear phishing is more targeted.
- ✗
Vishing
Why it's wrong here
Vishing uses voice calls, not email.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CEH practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council 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 CEH exam.