Which term describes the impersonation attack in which an attacker uses a compromised employee's account to convince others to perform fraudulent actions?

Which term describes the impersonation attack in which an attacker uses a compromised employee's account to convince others to perform fraudulent actions?

• A. Phishing
• B. Business email compromise
• C. Typosquatting
• D. Pharming

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is social engineering through a trusted channel. This attack uses a real, compromised employee’s email account to speak as someone within the organization, such as a colleague or supervisor, and manipulate others into taking fraudulent actions—most often wire transfers or sharing sensitive information. Because the messages come from a familiar, legitimate account, recipients are more likely to trust them and act, making it a highly effective form of fraud known as business email compromise. This is what sets it apart from the other terms. Phishing typically involves tricking victims with spoofed messages or fake sites to steal credentials or data, not using a legitimate, compromised account. Typosquatting relies on deceptive domains that look like the real site to lure users into entering credentials. Pharming redirects traffic to malicious sites at the DNS level. The impersonation of a real employee’s account is the distinctive feature of business email compromise, focusing on abusing internal trust to achieve fraudulent goals.

The key idea here is social engineering through a trusted channel. This attack uses a real, compromised employee’s email account to speak as someone within the organization, such as a colleague or supervisor, and manipulate others into taking fraudulent actions—most often wire transfers or sharing sensitive information. Because the messages come from a familiar, legitimate account, recipients are more likely to trust them and act, making it a highly effective form of fraud known as business email compromise.

This is what sets it apart from the other terms. Phishing typically involves tricking victims with spoofed messages or fake sites to steal credentials or data, not using a legitimate, compromised account. Typosquatting relies on deceptive domains that look like the real site to lure users into entering credentials. Pharming redirects traffic to malicious sites at the DNS level. The impersonation of a real employee’s account is the distinctive feature of business email compromise, focusing on abusing internal trust to achieve fraudulent goals.