During a security audit, a company discovers that an unauthorized individual gained access to employee accounts by pretending to be IT support over the phone. Which type of attack is this?

Rationale

Social engineering is the type of attack described in the scenario.

Social engineering involves manipulating individuals into divulging confidential information, often by posing as a trusted entity. In this case, the unauthorized individual impersonated IT support to gain access to employee accounts, which is a classic example of social engineering tactics.

A (Man-in-the-middle) YOUR ANSWER

SQL injection is a technique used to exploit vulnerabilities in a database by injecting malicious SQL queries. This attack focuses on the database layer and requires access to a web application's backend, making it irrelevant to the scenario, which revolves around human deception rather than technical exploitation.

B (Brute-force) YOUR ANSWER

Social engineering is the correct answer, as it directly pertains to the act of deceiving individuals into providing sensitive information or access. The scenario illustrates this by showing how the unauthorized individual pretended to be IT support, manipulating employees to gain unauthorized access to their accounts.

C (SQL Injection) YOUR ANSWER

Brute-force attacks involve systematically attempting various combinations of passwords or keys until the correct one is found. This method is purely technical and does not incorporate any deceptive human interaction, making it unsuitable for the situation where trust was exploited through impersonation.

D (Social engineering) CORRECT

Man-in-the-middle attacks occur when an attacker intercepts and relays messages between two parties without their knowledge, often to eavesdrop or alter communications. This type of attack does not apply here as there was no interception; rather, the attacker directly engaged with employees under false pretenses.

Conclusion

In this scenario, social engineering is identified as the attack method due to its reliance on psychological manipulation to gain access to sensitive information. Unlike technical attacks such as SQL injection or brute-force methods, social engineering emphasizes the human element, showcasing how attackers exploit trust to achieve their objectives. This understanding is crucial in enhancing security awareness and preventing future incidents.

During a security audit, a company discovers that an unauthorized individual gained access to employee accounts by pretending to be IT support over the phone. Which type of attack is this?

Social engineering is the type of attack described in the scenario.

Related Questions

Related Quizzes

How familiar were you with this question?

Report an Issue

Rate this Practice Test