Cisco Cyber Security Practice Exam

What could have caused the modification of customer information in transit, given no equipment failure was noted?

1. Manual error

2. Malicious code

3. Hardware malfunction

4. Network congestion

The correct answer is: Malicious code

The modification of customer information in transit, without any noted equipment failure, can be attributed to the presence of malicious code. This could be a form of software that is intentionally designed to alter data as it is being transmitted over the network. Malicious code may come from various sources such as a compromised endpoint within the network, phishing attacks that result in malware installation, or even from vulnerabilities in the software used for data transmission. In this context, malicious code can manipulate data packets or intercept and modify the information being transferred, leading to unauthorized changes in customer data. This reinforces the importance of comprehensive security measures and monitoring systems to detect and prevent such malicious activities, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive information in transit. Although manual errors can also lead to modification, they typically pertain to human actions rather than external threats, and equipment failure is ruled out in this scenario as a method of data alteration. Hardware malfunctions typically result in loss or corruption of data rather than deliberate modification, and network congestion does not typically allow for changes in data content; it might cause delays or packet loss without altering the actual information being transmitted.