Quick Answer
The answer is pretexting, the correct social engineering technique because the attacker fabricates a detailed scenario—posing as a new employee—to manipulate the help desk into resetting credentials. Pretexting relies on building a believable story, often using pretexting social engineering help desk tactics where the attacker gathers personal details from social media to establish false legitimacy. On the Certified Ethical Hacker CEH exam, this tests your ability to distinguish pretexting from similar attacks like phishing or baiting; a common trap is confusing it with impersonation, but pretexting always involves a constructed narrative rather than just assuming a role. Remember that pretexting is about the *story*—the attacker invents a context, not just a title. A useful memory tip: think “pretext equals pretext” as in the script or excuse used to gain trust, and on the help desk, any unsolicited request for password resets should trigger verification protocols.
This CEH practice question tests your understanding of malware, social engineering and network attacks. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
An attacker calls a company's help desk, pretending to be a new employee who forgot his username and password. The attacker provides some employee details gleaned from social media and convinces the help desk to reset the password. Which social engineering technique is being used?
Tailgating
Why wrong: Tailgating is physically following someone into a restricted area.
Quid pro quo
Why wrong: Quid pro quo offers a service in exchange for information.
Baiting
Why wrong: Baiting offers something enticing, not a made-up scenario.
Pretexting
The attacker uses a fabricated pretext to gain trust.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Pretexting
Pretexting involves creating a fabricated scenario (pretext) to obtain information. The attacker invents a story (new employee) to manipulate the help desk.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Tailgating
Why it's wrong here
Tailgating is physically following someone into a restricted area.
Quid pro quo
Why it's wrong here
Quid pro quo offers a service in exchange for information.
Baiting
Why it's wrong here
Baiting offers something enticing, not a made-up scenario.
Pretexting
Why this is correct
The attacker uses a fabricated pretext to gain trust.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Baiting offers something enticing, not a made-up scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CEH exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which CEH exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks — This question tests Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Pretexting — Pretexting involves creating a fabricated scenario (pretext) to obtain information. The attacker invents a story (new employee) to manipulate the help desk.
Identify which CEH exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. During a social engineering engagement, an attacker calls an employee pretending to be from IT support and asks for their password to perform a system update. Which social engineering technique is being employed?
mediumWhy B: Pretexting involves fabricating a scenario (pretext) to obtain information, such as pretending to be from IT support. The other choices refer to different techniques.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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.
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