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312-50V12 · Question #292

An attacker can employ many methods to perform social engineering against unsuspecting employees, including scareware. What is the best example of a scareware attack?

The correct answer is C. A pop-up appears to a user stating, "Your computer may have been infected with spyware. Click. Scareware is a social engineering technique that uses fear-inducing messages to trick users into taking a harmful action, typically by falsely warning them of a security threat on their system.

Submitted by chiamaka_o· Mar 4, 2026System Hacking Phases and Attack Techniques

Question

An attacker can employ many methods to perform social engineering against unsuspecting employees, including scareware. What is the best example of a scareware attack?

Options

  • AA pop-up appears to a user stating, "You have won a free cruise! Click here to claim your prize!"
  • BA banner appears to a user stating, "Your account has been locked. Click here to reset your
  • CA pop-up appears to a user stating, "Your computer may have been infected with spyware. Click
  • DA banner appears to a user stating, "Your Amazon order has been delayed. Click here to find out

How the community answered

(48 responses)
  • A
    2% (1)
  • B
    6% (3)
  • C
    90% (43)
  • D
    2% (1)

Why each option

Scareware is a social engineering technique that uses fear-inducing messages to trick users into taking a harmful action, typically by falsely warning them of a security threat on their system.

AA pop-up appears to a user stating, "You have won a free cruise! Click here to claim your prize!"

This describes a prize or reward lure, which is a form of phishing or baiting that uses greed and excitement rather than fear as the psychological trigger.

BA banner appears to a user stating, "Your account has been locked. Click here to reset your

This is an example of a credential harvesting or account-takeover phishing attack that mimics a legitimate account lockout notice, not a scareware attack based on security threat intimidation.

CA pop-up appears to a user stating, "Your computer may have been infected with spyware. ClickCorrect

This is the quintessential scareware example because it uses a fabricated security threat - a fake spyware infection warning - to frighten the user into clicking a malicious link. Scareware specifically leverages fear of system compromise or data loss to manipulate victims, often leading them to download malware disguised as security software. The psychological trigger is urgency and fear related to the integrity of the user's own device.

DA banner appears to a user stating, "Your Amazon order has been delayed. Click here to find out

This is a phishing lure that impersonates a trusted brand (Amazon) using a delivery pretext to induce clicks, relying on curiosity or concern about a purchase rather than fear of a security threat.

Concept tested: Identifying scareware as a social engineering method

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/recognizing-and-avoiding-email-scams

Topics

#scareware#social engineering#malware#phishing

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