An employee receives a text message from an unknown number claiming to be the company’s Chief Executive Officer and asking the employee to purchase several gift cards. Which of the following types of attacks does this describe?
An employee receives a text message from an unknown number claiming to be the company’s Chief Executive Officer and asking the employee to purchase several gift cards. Which of the following types of attacks does this describe?
The scenario describes an employee receiving a text message from an unknown number that appears to be from the company’s CEO and asks them to purchase gift cards. This type of attack is known as smishing, which is a form of phishing involving text messages (SMS). Smishing attempts to deceive individuals into providing sensitive information or performing actions (like purchasing gift cards) by posing as a trusted entity through SMS.
Answer - B Smishing, a combination of the words "SMS" and "phishing", is a type of cybercrime that uses deceptive text messages to trick people into sharing sensitive information or downloading malware. Smishing messages may appear to be from a reputable company, such as a bank, and may include a link or phone number to entice the recipient into clicking or calling. If the victim interacts with the message as intended, they may be led to a fraudulent website where they enter personal or financial information, or they may unknowingly download malicious software onto their device. If they call a number, the attacker may try to trick them into providing information verbally or incurring charges.