Homework Help: Questions and Answers: Which of the following is most indicative of a malicious payload situation?
A. A hacker could pretend to be a person in order to gain access to unauthorized information.
B. The email message itself contains an attack.
C. A displayed link in an email is different from the underlying hyperlink.
D. A way that sensitive email messages could be distributed outside the corporate email environment.
Answer:
First, let’s understand what a malicious payload is:
A malicious payload is malicious code or content within a file, email, or program that is designed to cause harm when executed. It’s the actual component that performs the malicious action
Given Options: Step by Step Answering
a) A hacker could pretend to be a person in order to gain access to unauthorized information.
- This describes a technique called social engineering or phishing, where an attacker impersonates someone to gain information or access.
- It does not directly refer to a malicious payload but rather to a method of tricking someone into revealing sensitive information.
b) The email message itself contains an attack.
- This clearly indicates that there is something harmful directly in the email itself, such as a malicious attachment or script within the email.
- This is a direct reference to a malicious payload, as the email can deliver a harmful component capable of causing damage.
c) A displayed link in an email is different from the underlying hyperlink.
- This refers to a phishing technique, where a link appears legitimate but redirects to a malicious website.
- While this is a tactic used to deceive users, it does not directly indicate the presence of a payload but rather a misleading link.
d) A way that sensitive email messages could be distributed outside the corporate email environment.
- This refers to data leakage, where sensitive information is sent outside of the organization.
- It is a security issue but does not directly indicate a malicious payload.
Final Answer
Based on the above analysis, the correct answer is:
B) The email message itself contains an attack
This is the only option that directly describes malicious content embedded within the message. It represents an actual payload situation where the harmful code is present in the email.
Learn More: Homework Help
Q. While working on a MS Word document, Megan wants to hide all commands. Where can she go to hide all tabs and commands in the ribbon?
Q. Which security mechanism is the LEAST effective against common web application attacks?