CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1002) — Question 383

Joe, a user, is getting out-of-office replies from people he did not email. A technician inspects Joe's inbox and sees a sent email that appears to have come from
Joe. The email contains a link to a well-known company's website, which is spelled incorrectly. Joe's sent items folder shows dozens of emails that were sent to everyone on his contact list.
Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Answer options

• A. Joe was the victim of a man-in-the-middle attack
• B. Joe inadvertently triggered a mail merge
• C. Joe's email address was spoofed
• D. Joe's email password was compromised

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is D because the unauthorized emails sent to Joe's contact list indicate that someone gained access to Joe's email account. Options A, B, and C do not adequately explain the situation as they either involve different attack vectors or scenarios that wouldn't result in mass emails from Joe's account.