FORTINET-NSE123 Nse 1 Foundational Cybersecurity Concepts Practice Question
Which of the following scenarios describes a 'pretexting' social engineering attack?
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
✓
An attacker poses as an auditor to convince an employee to disclose sensitive internal procedures.
Pretexting involves creating a fabricated scenario to manipulate a victim into providing information.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
An attacker leaves a malicious USB drive in the lobby.
Why it's wrong here
This is a baiting attack.
- ✗
An attacker uses automated software to guess passwords.
Why it's wrong here
This is a brute-force attack.
- ✗
An attacker shoulder-surfs to capture a password.
Why it's wrong here
Shoulder-surfing is a physical observation technique, not a pretexted scenario.
- ✓
An attacker poses as an auditor to convince an employee to disclose sensitive internal procedures.
Why this is correct
Posing as an authority figure to gather information is a classic pretext.
About these practice questions
One of 296 original FORTINET-NSE123 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official Fortinet exam blueprint
This FORTINET-NSE123 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Fortinet 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 FORTINET-NSE123 exam.