Cisco Cyber Security Practice Exam

Which type of incident involves a known threat using impersonation techniques to manipulate employees?

1. Phishing

2. Social Engineering

3. Malware

4. Buffer Overflow

The correct answer is: Social Engineering

The incident type that involves a known threat using impersonation techniques to manipulate employees is social engineering. This describes a range of tactics used by attackers to deceive individuals into divulging confidential or personal information by pretending to be someone they trust or an authority figure. Social engineering exploits the human element of security, recognizing that while technology can be fortified against many forms of attack, people can be manipulated. Attackers often use impersonation techniques to create a false sense of legitimacy, encouraging employees to lower their guard and share sensitive information or perform actions that compromise security. While phishing is a specific subset of social engineering that typically occurs via email, it does not encompass the broader range of impersonation tactics used in social engineering scenarios. Malware refers to malicious software that can harm or exploit devices but isn't mainly focused on deceiving people into giving away information. Buffer overflow is a technical vulnerability related to software operations and is not related to impersonation or manipulation of individuals. Hence, social engineering accurately represents the described scenario.