Study Guide: Unit 2 - Social Engineering & Access Control

What is social engineering?

• A. A form of psychological manipulation to gain access to sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions

• B. A technique used by hackers to exploit software vulnerabilities

• C. A physical intrusion into a secure facility

• D. A marketing strategy to promote products on social media

Which of the following is a method through which social engineering can be executed?

• A. Texting

• B. Face to face communication

• C. Email

• D. All the above

What are biases in the context of social engineering?

• A. Preconceived notions that influence decision making

• B. Encrypted messages sent by attackers

• C. Passwords used to gain unauthorized access

• D. Fake identities used in phishing attacks

Which principle of social engineering exploits a bias of obedience and compliance?

• A. Intimidation

• B. Consensus/social proof

• C. Authority

• D. Trust

What is the principle of scarcity in social engineering?

• A. The fear of consequences

• B. The desire to have access for exlusive items

• C. The tendency to follow the crowd

• D. The exploitation of a bias of relationship

How can individuals defend against social engineering attacks?

• A. By complying with all requests received via email

• B. By ignoring any communication from unknown sources

• C. By recognizing when manipulation techniques are being used

• D. By sharing personal information freely to avoid conflict

Which of the following is NOT a clue to a potential social engineering attack in email communication?

• A. "Act now"

• B. "Supplies are limited"

• C. "Congratulations, you've won!"

• D. "Take your time to consider"

What is the main reason social engineering attacks succeed?

• A. Lack of security software

• B. Lack of proper training for employees

• C. Exploitation of human biases and emotions

• D. Lack of encryption on communication channels

Which of the following best describes phishing?

• A. Fishing for compliments on social media

• B. Attempting to gain sensitive information through electronic communication by posing as a trustworthy source

• C. Using real fishing as a metaphor for online security

• D. Sending out random emails without a specific target

What is a common characteristic of obvious phishing attempts?

• Proper grammar and spelling

• Well-designed graphics and fonts

• Misspelled words and odd graphics

• Promises that seem too good to be true