CEH Practice Question: Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks
An attacker sends an email to the CEO of a company, pretending to be a board member and requesting a wire transfer for a confidential acquisition. Which social engineering attack is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse whaling with spear phishing, but the CEH exam distinguishes whaling as a specific subtype targeting executives, while spear phishing is broader and can target any individual or role.
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
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Whaling
Whaling is a targeted social engineering attack that specifically goes after high-profile individuals like C-suite executives or board members. In this scenario, the attacker impersonates a board member to trick the CEO into authorizing a wire transfer, which is a classic whaling tactic because it exploits the authority and trust associated with senior leadership.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Whaling
Why this is correct
Whaling is a highly sophisticated form of phishing specifically designed to target high-profile individuals within an organization, such as CEOs, CFOs, or other senior executives. Attackers meticulously craft personalized emails, often impersonating a trusted entity or a critical business contact, to trick these high-value targets into divulging sensitive information or authorizing fraudulent transactions. The objective is typically significant financial gain or access to critical corporate data, leveraging the executive's authority and access.
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Vishing
Why it's wrong here
Vishing, a portmanteau of 'voice' and 'phishing,' is a social engineering attack conducted over the telephone, not via email as described in the question stem. Attackers use voice calls to trick victims into revealing personal information, transferring money, or installing malware, often by impersonating banks, government agencies, or technical support. Since the attack vector in the scenario is email, vishing is an incorrect classification for this specific threat.
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Spear phishing
Why it's wrong here
Spear phishing involves highly targeted email attacks directed at specific individuals within an organization, leveraging personalized information to increase credibility and bypass security measures. While it shares the targeted nature with whaling, spear phishing typically focuses on any specific employee to gain initial access or information, whereas whaling specifically targets C-level executives or other high-value individuals due to their elevated authority and access to critical assets. The distinction lies in the strategic importance and hierarchical position of the intended victim.
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Phishing
Why it's wrong here
Phishing is a broad, general term for social engineering attacks that attempt to trick victims into revealing sensitive information, often through deceptive emails or websites. These attacks are typically untargeted or broadly targeted, casting a wide net to ensnare as many victims as possible without significant personalization for each recipient. The scenario, however, describes a highly specific attack aimed at a CEO, which falls under a more specialized category than general phishing due to the target's unique position and the implied level of customization.
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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.