Social engineering
Domain 2: Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations · Not started
Main exam topics
Threat actors and motivations; attack surfaces; phishing and social engineering; malware; network and application attacks; software, hardware, cloud and supply-chain vulnerabilities; indicators of attack; patching, isolation, segmentation and access controls.
SY0-701 topic overview · Independent study resource, not a prediction of exam questions.
Phishing family
Phishing uses fraudulent messages to steal credentials or deliver malware. Spear phishing targets a specific person; whaling targets executives. Vishing uses voice calls, and smishing uses text messages. Business email compromise impersonates a trusted executive or vendor to redirect payments.
Other techniques
Pretexting builds a believable story, such as a caller claiming to be from the help desk. Watering hole attacks compromise a website the target group visits. Typosquatting registers look-alike domains. Impersonation and tailgating exploit courtesy at physical entrances. Attackers rely on urgency, authority, and familiarity to override careful thinking.
Defenses
Train users to recognize pressure tactics. Verify unusual requests through a separately known contact, never the number or link in the message. Use phishing-resistant MFA, email filtering, and clear reporting channels. On the exam, the best answer usually verifies out of band rather than replying to the suspicious sender.
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