Ann, a user, is receiving automatic replies from some email addresses she knows and others she does not. Which of the following is happening?

The correct answer is D. Hijacked email. Ann's email account has been hijacked (compromised). When an attacker gains access to an email account, they often send spam or phishing emails to everyone in the contact list and beyond. The automatic replies Ann is receiving are out-of-office or delivery-status responses to…

Networking

Question

Options

AComputer virus
BInvalid certificate
CSpam email
DHijacked email

How the community answered

(37 responses)

A
3% (1)
C
3% (1)
D
95% (35)

Explanation

Ann's email account has been hijacked (compromised). When an attacker gains access to an email account, they often send spam or phishing emails to everyone in the contact list and beyond. The automatic replies Ann is receiving are out-of-office or delivery-status responses to those outbound emails sent by the attacker using her account. The fact that replies come from both known contacts and unknown addresses is the hallmark indicator - her account was used to blast emails widely. Spam (C) would be incoming unsolicited messages, not automatic replies triggered by outbound activity.

Topics

#email hijacking#account compromise#email security#social engineering

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