Question 17 of 750

Social Engineering Attacks →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Baiting Attack: USB Drive Left in Parking Lot

This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of social engineering attacks. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 employee finds a USB drive labeled 'Employee Bonuses Q4' in the parking lot and plugs it into their work computer to see the contents. The computer immediately begins exhibiting erratic behavior. Which social engineering attack was executed?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "immediately / without restart"
Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.

A
Phishing
Why wrong: Phishing is digital (email, websites), not physical USB drops.
B
Pretexting
Why wrong: Pretexting involves a fabricated story, not leaving physical bait.
C
Baiting
Baiting uses an enticing item (like a labeled USB drive) to trick a victim into introducing malware into a system.
D
Tailgating
Why wrong: Tailgating is about following someone into a secure area, not using physical media.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Quick Answer

The answer is baiting. This is the correct choice because baiting is a social engineering attack that lures a victim with a tempting offer—in this case, a USB drive labeled 'Employee Bonuses Q4' left in a parking lot—exploiting human curiosity or greed to bypass technical security controls. When the employee plugs the drive into their work computer, the attacker’s malware executes, compromising the system. On the CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish baiting from other attacks like phishing or tailgating; a common trap is confusing it with phishing, but remember that baiting often involves physical media or a tangible reward. A helpful memory tip: think of the USB drive as literal bait on a hook—the attacker is fishing for a victim to take the bite.

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

✓

Baiting

The correct answer is C, baiting. Baiting is a social engineering attack that uses a physical device (like a USB drive) or digital offer to lure a victim into taking an action that compromises security. In this scenario, the attacker left a USB drive labeled with an enticing file name ('Employee Bonuses Q4') in a public location, and the victim plugged it into their work computer, which then executed malicious code (e.g., autorun.inf or a malicious script) that caused erratic behavior. This is a classic example of a physical baiting attack, distinct from phishing or pretexting which rely on digital communication or fabricated scenarios.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
Phishing
Why it's wrong here
Phishing is digital (email, websites), not physical USB drops.
✗
Pretexting
Why it's wrong here
Pretexting involves a fabricated story, not leaving physical bait.
✓
Baiting
Why this is correct
Baiting uses an enticing item (like a labeled USB drive) to trick a victim into introducing malware into a system.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Tailgating
Why it's wrong here
Tailgating is about following someone into a secure area, not using physical media.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse baiting with phishing because both involve deception, but CompTIA A+ 220-1202 specifically tests the distinction that baiting uses a physical or digital lure (like a USB drive or free download) while phishing relies on electronic communication.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, a baiting attack using a USB drive often relies on the autorun feature (now largely disabled in modern Windows via Group Policy or registry keys like HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoDriveTypeAutoRun) or a malicious executable disguised as a legitimate file (e.g., 'Bonuses.xlsx.exe'). In real-world scenarios, such as the Stuxnet worm, USB drives were used to propagate malware across air-gapped networks by exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in Windows shortcut files (LNK). The erratic behavior could result from a keylogger, ransomware, or a backdoor establishing a C2 connection.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A practitioner preparing for the 220-1202 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

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this 220-1202 question test?

Social Engineering Attacks — This question tests Social Engineering Attacks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Baiting — The correct answer is C, baiting. Baiting is a social engineering attack that uses a physical device (like a USB drive) or digital offer to lure a victim into taking an action that compromises security. In this scenario, the attacker left a USB drive labeled with an enticing file name ('Employee Bonuses Q4') in a public location, and the victim plugged it into their work computer, which then executed malicious code (e.g., autorun.inf or a malicious script) that caused erratic behavior. This is a classic example of a physical baiting attack, distinct from phishing or pretexting which rely on digital communication or fabricated scenarios.

What should I do if I get this 220-1202 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "immediately / without restart". Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on 220-1202

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. A customer complains that their computer is running slowly and they keep seeing pop-ups offering free antivirus software. They admit they clicked 'OK' on one pop-up. Which type of social engineering attack has likely occurred?

medium

A.Phishing
✓ B.Baiting
C.Pretexting
D.Shoulder surfing

Why B: The correct answer is Baiting. In this scenario, the user clicked 'OK' on a pop-up offering free antivirus software, which is a classic baiting attack. Baiting lures victims with a false promise (e.g., free software) to trick them into executing malware or revealing credentials. Unlike phishing, which typically uses deceptive emails or websites to steal sensitive information, baiting relies on the allure of a free item or service to trigger a malicious download.

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This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 220-1202 exam.