200-201 Question 72
Select 2A cybersecurity analyst is investigating a data breach at a retail company. The threat actor gained unauthorized access to the company's network using stolen employee credentials. Once inside, they exploited an unpatched vulnerability in a web application to exfiltrate customer credit card information. Which two attack vectors were used in this incident?
- A
Phishing emails sent to employees to steal their credentials
- B
Exploitation of an unpatched web application vulnerability
- C
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack targeting the company’s public website
- D
Physical access to the company's on-site server room
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: A, B
Explanation
An attack vector is the method or path used by a threat actor to gain unauthorized access or deliver a malicious payload. In the scenario, the threat actor used phishing to steal credentials and exploited an unpatched web application vulnerability. These are the two primary attack vectors that led to the data breach.
- A. Correct.
Phishing is a common attack vector used to steal credentials by tricking employees into divulging sensitive information. This matches the scenario where stolen employee credentials were used to gain access.
- B. Correct.
The exploitation of an unpatched web application vulnerability is another attack vector utilized in this incident to exfiltrate customer credit card information.
- C. Incorrect.
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack disrupts services by overwhelming systems with traffic but is not part of the scenario described.
- D. Incorrect.
Physical access would involve direct interaction with hardware or infrastructure, which is not relevant in this incident.