Cisco Cyber Security Practice Exam

An employee divulging sensitive information to someone impersonating their manager is an example of which type of incident?

1. External

2. Internal

3. Social Engineering

4. Technical Breach

The correct answer is: External

When an employee reveals sensitive information to someone impersonating their manager, it exemplifies a social engineering incident. Social engineering refers to the manipulative tactics used by attackers to deceive individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security. In this scenario, the impersonator has exploited trust and authority, one of the key principles in social engineering, to trick the employee into revealing information. This incident is characterized by the human element of security rather than a breach resulting from technical vulnerabilities or external attacks, clearly indicating that it falls under the category of social engineering. The other classifications, such as external, internal, and technical breach, describe different scenarios that do not fit this particular incident. External incidents typically involve outside attackers trying to breach a system, internal incidents refer to breaches that originate from within the organization, and technical breaches involve hacking or exploiting vulnerabilities in systems or software. In this case, the element of deception and manipulation points specifically towards social engineering as the defining feature of the incident.