CompTIA CySA+ (CS0-001) — Question 235

Joe, a penetration tester, used a professional directory to identify a network administrator and ID administrator for a client's company. Joe then emailed the network administrator, identifying himself as the ID administrator, and asked for a current password as part of a security exercise. Which of the following techniques were used in this scenario?

Answer options

• A. Enumeration and OS fingerprinting
• B. Email harvesting and host scanning
• C. Social media profiling and phishing
• D. Network and host scanning

Correct answer: C

Explanation

Joe's actions primarily involved social engineering, specifically impersonating the ID administrator to extract sensitive information, which is characteristic of phishing. The other options do not accurately represent the tactics used; enumeration and OS fingerprinting are more about gathering information about systems, while email harvesting and host scanning refer to different approaches in reconnaissance.