CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501) — Question 583

The help desk received a call from a user who was trying to access a set of files from the day before but received the following error message: File format not recognized. Which of the following types of malware MOST likely caused this to occur?

Answer options

• A. Ransomware
• B. Polymorphic virus
• C. Rootkit
• D. Spyware

Correct answer: A

Explanation

Ransomware is designed to encrypt files and restrict access until a ransom is paid, which can lead to the 'File format not recognized' error. Other options like polymorphic viruses, rootkits, and spyware do not specifically cause files to become unrecognized in the same way that ransomware does.