(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

What characterizes a phishing attack?

1. An attempt to sell products through deceptive advertisements.

2. A strategy to gain access to systems by tricking individuals into revealing sensitive information.

3. A method of gathering user feedback through email.

4. A way to infect systems with malware via downloads.

The correct answer is: A strategy to gain access to systems by tricking individuals into revealing sensitive information.

Phishing attacks are primarily characterized by their objective to deceive individuals into providing sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal data. These attacks typically occur through emails that appear to come from legitimate sources, such as banks or well-known companies, but contain fraudulent links or attachments. The aim is to trick the recipient into clicking on a link or providing information on a fake website that closely mimics a trusted entity. By focusing on this deceptive approach, phishing exploits human psychology, as victims often trust the familiar appearance of the email and the associated urgency, leading them to disclose their information unwittingly. Understanding this tactic is crucial in recognizing phishing scams, thus enhancing one's overall cybersecurity awareness. The other options describe different forms of online manipulations or attacks but do not encapsulate the primary intent and method behind phishing. For instance, deceptive advertisements pertain to misleading marketing rather than information theft, user feedback collection does not involve malicious intent, and malware distribution involves techniques that are distinct from the data harvesting approach typical of phishing.