CompTIA Security+ (SY0-601) — Question 653

An organization recently experienced the following social engineering attacks that introduced malware into the network:

• In the first attack, the sender impersonated a staff member in the legal department and sent an email stating that the employee needed to click a link to sign an NDA in order to remain employed. The link provided was to a malicious website.
• In the second attack, the sender impersonated the director of finance and instructed the accounts payable department to pay an outstanding invoice. The attached invoice contained malware.

Which of the following is the most likely reason these attacks were successful?

Answer options

• A. Both attacks passed the spam filters, which resulted in the end users thinking the emails were legitimate.
• B. Both attacks concealed the delivery of malware, which led end users to trust the emails.
• C. Both attacks appealed to authority, which made the end users feel obligated to perform the requested actions.
• D. Both attacks relied on dumpster diving to obtain a list of valid contacts to receive the malicious emails.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer is C because both attacks impersonated individuals in positions of authority, which pressured the recipients into complying with the requests. Options A and B focus on technical aspects that do not directly influence user behavior, while D incorrectly suggests that the attackers needed to gather contact information in a physical manner.