312-39V2: Certified SOC Analyst v2

Question

You are working with a team of SOC analysts at a large corporation. The HR department receives an urgent email from someone posing as a high-level executive, requesting an immediate transfer of sensitive employee data. The email contains an official-looking document and a phone number for verification. Feeling pressured, the HR manager calls the number and confirms the request. After the data transfer, you notice this unusual transfer and your team investigates, discovering that the email was fraudulent and that the executive had no knowledge of the request.

What type of attack did the HR department face in this scenario?

Explanation

A social engineering attack manipulates people through impersonation, urgency, and apparently credible verification channels to induce them to disclose or transfer sensitive information. The fraudulent executive identity and attacker-controlled phone number were used to persuade HR to transfer employee data.

312-39V2: Certified SOC Analyst v2

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