Which of the following best describes this type of correlation?

While reviewing recent modem reports, a security officer discovers that several employees were contacted by the same individual who impersonated a recruiter .

Which of the following best describes this type of correlation?
A . Spear-phishing campaign
B . Threat modeling
C . Red team assessment
D . Attack pattern analysis

View Answer

Answer: A

Explanation:

The situation where several employees were contacted by the same individual impersonating a recruiter best describes a spear-phishing campaign.

Here’s why:

Targeted Approach: Spear-phishing involves targeting specific individuals within an organization with personalized and convincing messages to trick them into divulging sensitive information or performing actions that compromise security.

Impersonation: The use of impersonation, in this case, a recruiter, is a common tactic in spear-phishing to gain the trust of the targeted individuals and increase the likelihood of a successful attack.

Correlated Contacts: The fact that several employees were contacted by the same individual suggests a coordinated effort to breach the organization’s security by targeting multiple points of entry through social engineering.

References:

CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Study Guide by Mike Chapple and David Seidl

NIST Special Publication 800-61: Computer Security Incident Handling Guide

OWASP Phishing Cheat Sheet