A human resources employee receives an email from a family member stating there is a new virus going around. In order to remove the virus, a user must delete the Boot.ini file from the system…

The correct answer is A. Hoax. A hoax is a false warning or alert - typically spread via email or social media - that tricks users into taking harmful or unnecessary actions (such as deleting a critical system file like Boot.ini, which is needed to boot Windows). The deceptive element here is that the…

Threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations

Question

A human resources employee receives an email from a family member stating there is a new virus going around. In order to remove the virus, a user must delete the Boot.ini file from the system immediately. This is an example of which of the following?

Options

AHoax
BSpam
CWhaling
DPhishing

How the community answered

(33 responses)

A
91% (30)
C
3% (1)
D
6% (2)

Explanation

A hoax is a false warning or alert - typically spread via email or social media - that tricks users into taking harmful or unnecessary actions (such as deleting a critical system file like Boot.ini, which is needed to boot Windows). The deceptive element here is that the 'threat' doesn't actually exist, but the instructed action (deleting Boot.ini) would cause real damage. Spam is unsolicited bulk email but not necessarily deceptive in this targeted way. Whaling targets senior executives specifically. Phishing attempts to steal credentials or personal information via deceptive links or forms - not by giving false system instructions.

Topics

#hoax#social engineering#email threats#user awareness

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