Which of the following threats is MOST associated with socia

Which of the following threats is most associated with socia - CompTIA Server+ SK0-005

Question

Which of the following threats is MOST associated with social engineering?

Answers

force attacks
correct

Spear phishing
Buffer overflow
in-the-middle

Explanation

The Correct Answer is: B. Spear phishing
Spear phishing is a targeted form of social engineering where attackers craft personalized messages—usually emails—designed to trick specific individuals into revealing confidential information, clicking on malicious links, or opening infected attachments. It relies heavily on psychological manipulation rather than technical exploits, making it a prime example of social engineering tactics.

Why the other options are incorrect:

A. Brute-force attacks
These involve systematically trying many combinations of passwords or encryption keys to gain unauthorized access. They rely on computational power, not manipulation of human behavior.
C. Buffer overflow
This is a type of software vulnerability where more data is sent to a buffer than it can handle, potentially allowing attackers to execute malicious code. It is a technical exploit, not a social engineering tactic.
D. Man-in-the-middle
This attack intercepts communication between two parties to steal or alter data. While it may involve deception, it is primarily a network-based attack, not directly reliant on human manipulation like social engineering.