CISSP-ISSAP: Information Systems Security Architecture Professional

Question

A helpdesk technician received a phone call from an administrator at a remote branch office. The administrator said that he had forgotten the password for the root account on UNIX servers and requested it. Although the technician did not know any administrator at the branch office, the caller sounded very friendly; because the technician knew the root password, he provided it. What type of attack has just taken place?

Explanation

Social engineering uses deception and interpersonal manipulation to persuade someone to disclose sensitive information. Impersonating a remote administrator and gaining the technician’s trust to obtain the root password is a social-engineering attack.

CISSP-ISSAP: Information Systems Security Architecture Professional

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Notes

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