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PCCET · Question #28

Anthem server breaches disclosed Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from a number of its servers. The infiltration by hackers was attributed to which type of vulnerability?

The correct answer is D. a phishing scheme that captured a database administrator's password. The Anthem data breach of 2015 was caused by a phishing scheme that captured a database administrator's password. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), hackers sent phishing emails to an Anthem subsidiary. At least…

Submitted by certguy· Apr 18, 2026Cybersecurity Foundations

Question

Anthem server breaches disclosed Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from a number of its servers. The infiltration by hackers was attributed to which type of vulnerability?

Options

  • Aan intranet-accessed contractor's system that was compromised
  • Bexploitation of an unpatched security vulnerability
  • Caccess by using a third-party vendor's password
  • Da phishing scheme that captured a database administrator's password

How the community answered

(44 responses)
  • A
    5% (2)
  • B
    2% (1)
  • C
    2% (1)
  • D
    91% (40)

Explanation

The Anthem data breach of 2015 was caused by a phishing scheme that captured a database administrator's password. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), hackers sent phishing emails to an Anthem subsidiary. At least one employee responded. Attackers were able to plant malware on the company's system and gain remote access to confidential information. The breach exposed the electronic protected health information of almost 79 million people, including names, Social Security numbers, medical identification numbers, addresses, dates of birth, email addresses, and employment information.

Topics

#Phishing#Social Engineering#Data Breach#Credential Theft

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