CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) — Question 156

A secretary receives an email from the company's chief executive officer with a request to pay a vendor immediately. After the payment is made, the chief executive officer tells the secretary that they never sent that email. Which of the following social engineering tactics best describes this type of attack?

Answer options

• A. Evil twin
• B. Impersonation
• C. Whaling
• D. Spear phishing

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is B, Impersonation, as the attacker is pretending to be a trusted individual (the CEO) to manipulate the secretary into making a payment. Options A, C, and D do not accurately describe this scenario; Evil twin refers to a fake Wi-Fi access point, Whaling targets high-profile individuals with personalized attacks, and Spear phishing involves targeted phishing attacks, but in this case, the impersonation aspect is the key tactic used.