An employee receives a text message that appears to have been sent by the payroll department and is asking for credential verification. Which of the following social engineering techniques are being attempted? (Choose two.)
Correct Answer: C,E
Explanation Smishing is a type of social engineering technique that uses text messages (SMS) to trick victims into revealing sensitive information, clicking malicious links, or downloading malware. Smishing messages often appear to come from legitimate sources, such as banks, government agencies, or service providers, and use urgent or threatening language to persuade the recipients to take action12. In this scenario, the text message that claims to be from the payroll department is an example of smishing. Impersonation is a type of social engineering technique that involves pretending to be someone else, such as an authority figure, a trusted person, or a colleague, to gain the trust or cooperation of the target. Impersonation can be done through various channels, such as phone calls, emails, text messages, or in-person visits, and can be used to obtain information, access, or money from the victim34. In this scenario, the text message that pretends to be from the payroll department is an example of impersonation. A: Typosquatting is a type of cyberattack that involves registering domain names that are similar to popular or well-known websites, but with intentional spelling errors or different extensions. Typosquatting aims to exploit the common mistakes that users make when typing web addresses, and redirect them to malicious or fraudulent sites that may steal their information, install malware, or display ads56. Typosquatting is not related to text messages or credential verification. B: Phishing is a type of social engineering technique that uses fraudulent emails to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information, clicking malicious links, or downloading malware. Phishing emails often mimic the appearance and tone of legitimate organizations, such as banks, retailers, or service providers, and use deceptive or urgent language to persuade the recipients to take action78. Phishing is not related to text messages or credential verification. D: Vishing is a type of social engineering technique that uses voice calls to trick victims into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or bank account details. Vishing calls often appear to come from legitimate sources, such as law enforcement, government agencies, or technical support, and use scare tactics or false promises to persuade the recipients to comply9 . Vishing is not related to text messages or credential verification. F: Misinformation is a type of social engineering technique that involves spreading false or misleading information to influence the beliefs, opinions, or actions of the target. Misinformation can be used to manipulate public perception, create confusion, damage reputation, or promote an agenda . Misinformation is not related to text messages or credential verification. References = 1: What is Smishing? | Definition and Examples | Kaspersky 2: Smishing - Wikipedia 3: Impersonation Attacks: What Are They and How Do You Protect Against Them? 4: Impersonation - Wikipedia 5: What is Typosquatting? | Definition and Examples | Kaspersky 6: Typosquatting - Wikipedia 7: What is Phishing? | Definition and Examples | Kaspersky 8: Phishing - Wikipedia 9: What is Vishing? | Definition and Examples | Kaspersky : Vishing - Wikipedia : What is Misinformation? | Definition and Examples | Britannica : Misinformation - Wikipedia
Question 122
Which of the following is the most likely outcome if a large bank fails an internal PCI DSS compliance assessment?
Correct Answer: A
What are the consequences of not being PCI DSS compliant? The fines imposed by the Card Brands and Acquiring Banks on merchants for non-compliance can range from $5,000 to $100,000 per month. These fines, along with credit monitoring fees, can impose substantial financial strain on businesses, underscoring the necessity of abiding by the PCI DSS requirements.
Question 123
A network administrator is working on a project to deploy a load balancer in the company's cloud environment. Which of the following fundamental security requirements does this project fulfill?
Correct Answer: D
Deploying a load balancer in the company's cloud environment primarily fulfills the fundamental security requirement of availability. A load balancer distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers, ensuring that no single server becomes overwhelmed and that the service remains available even if some servers fail. * Availability: Ensures that services and resources are accessible when needed, which is directly supported by load balancing. * Privacy: Protects personal and sensitive information from unauthorized access but is not directly related to load balancing. * Integrity: Ensures that data is accurate and has not been tampered with, but load balancing is not primarily focused on data integrity. * Confidentiality: Ensures that information is accessible only to authorized individuals, which is not the primary concern of load balancing.
Question 124
A hacker gained access to a system via a phishing attempt that was a direct result of a user clicking a suspicious link. The link laterally deployed ransomware, which laid dormant for multiple weeks, across the network. Which of the following would have mitigated the spread?
Correct Answer: A
Explanation IPS stands for intrusion prevention system, which is a network security device that monitors and blocks malicious traffic in real time. IPS is different from IDS, which only detects and alerts on malicious traffic, but does not block it. IPS would have mitigated the spread of ransomware by preventing the hacker from accessing the system via the phishing link, or by stopping the ransomware from communicating with its command and control server or encrypting the files.
Question 125
In order to strengthen a password and prevent a hacker from cracking it, a random string of 36 characters was added to the password. Which of the following best describes this technique?
Correct Answer: D
Adding a random string of characters, known as a "salt," to a password before hashing it is known as salting. This technique strengthens passwords by ensuring that even if two users have the same password, their hashes will be different due to the unique salt, making it much harder for attackers to crack passwords using precomputed tables. Reference: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 course content and official CompTIA study resources.
