Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH v11) — Question 199

Ralph, a professional hacker, targeted Jane, who had recently bought new systems for her company. After a few days, Ralph contacted Jane while masquerading as a legitimate customer support executive, informing that her systems need to be serviced for proper functioning and that customer support will send a computer technician. Jane promptly replied positively. Ralph entered Jane's company using this opportunity and gathered sensitive information by scanning terminals for passwords, searching for important documents in desks, and rummaging bins.
What is the type of attack technique Ralph used on Jane?

Answer options

• A. Impersonation
• B. Dumpster diving
• C. Shoulder surfing
• D. Eavesdropping

Correct answer: A

Explanation

The correct answer is A, Impersonation, as Ralph pretended to be a customer support executive to gain Jane's trust and access her company. The other options are incorrect because dumpster diving refers to searching through trash for information, shoulder surfing involves watching someone enter sensitive data, and eavesdropping is listening to private conversations, none of which directly apply to the method Ralph used.