Which of the following is a common method used in identity theft?

Question

Options

• ADumpster diving
• BSQL injection
• CCross-site scripting
• DPort scanning

• A
  92% (22)
• B
  4% (1)
• D
  4% (1)

Explanation

Dumpster diving is correct because it involves physically searching through discarded materials - trash, old mail, bank statements, or pre-approved credit offers - to harvest personal information that can be used to steal someone's identity. It's a low-tech but highly effective social engineering tactic directly targeting personal data.

The distractors are all cybersecurity attack techniques, not identity theft methods in the traditional sense: SQL injection (B) exploits database vulnerabilities to extract data from web applications; cross-site scripting (C) injects malicious scripts into web pages to hijack user sessions; and port scanning (D) is a reconnaissance technique used to discover open network ports - none of these are specifically classified as identity theft methods.

Memory tip: Think "dumpster diving = identity theft" by associating the physical act of digging through trash with stealing personal details. The other three options all belong to the "hacking/web attack" category - if it sounds like a network or code exploit, it's probably not the identity theft answer.

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