Preparing Practice Exam…
Please wait a moment while the system generates the exam questions, answers, and study session.
Please wait a moment while the system generates the exam questions, answers, and study session.
CompTIA Security+ · CompTIA
Select 2 answers.
This question asks for 2 answers, but our data marks only 1. Compare with the community discussion below for the full answer.
Written by other learners. Comments can disagree with the marked answer — check the official documentation when in doubt.
In this scenario, where an employee receives a text message appearing to be from the payroll department asking for credential verification, the following social engineering techniques are being attempted: C. Impersonation - The attacker is pretending to be a trusted entity (the payroll department) to gain the employee's trust and obtain their credentials. E. Smishing - Smishing (SMS phishing) involves sending fraudulent text messages to trick individuals into revealing personal information, such as credentials, by clicking on a link or responding to the message.
The scenario describes a text message (SMS) pretending to be from payroll and asking for credentials. This is a form of social engineering where the attacker: Pretends to be a trusted entity → ✅ Impersonation Uses SMS to deliver the bait → ✅ Smishing (SMS + phishing)
Although impersonation is indeed a tactic used in the attack (the attacker is impersonating the payroll department), the key focus of the attack is the method used (a fraudulent text message aimed at credential theft) rather than simply the act of pretending to be someone else. That is why the answers phishing (B) and smishing (E) are more precise for this scenario.