Understanding Social Engineering Attacks

What is an example of pretexting?

A) shoulder surfing.
B) dumpster diving.
C) pretexting.
D) skimming.

Answer:

Posing as an employee of a brokerage firm to obtain information is an example of pretexting.

Posing as an employee of a brokerage firm to obtain information to allegedly update your account information is an example of pretexting. Pretexting is a form of social engineering where an attacker pretends to be someone they're not in order to deceive others into revealing confidential information or granting access to sensitive systems.

In this case, the attacker poses as an employee of the firm to gain access to the victim's account information. For example, the attacker might call the victim and claim there is an issue with their account that requires verification. The victim, thinking they are speaking to a legitimate employee, may then provide their personal information, which the attacker can use for fraudulent purposes.