CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501) — Question 742

Joe, an employee, asks a coworker how long ago Ann started working at the help desk. The coworker expresses surprise since nobody named Ann works at the help desk. Joe mentions that Ann called several people in the customer service department to help reset their passwords over the phone due to unspecified
`server issues`.
Which of the following has occurred?

Answer options

• A. Social engineering
• B. Whaling
• C. Watering hole attack
• D. Password cracking

Correct answer: A

Explanation

The situation describes social engineering, where Joe appears to be manipulated into believing there is an employee named Ann, possibly to extract information. Whaling refers to targeting high-profile individuals, which is not the case here. A watering hole attack involves compromising a specific group’s online resources, and password cracking is the act of trying to guess or reveal passwords, neither of which applies to this scenario.