Phishing Attack

• A. An email disguised to look as if it has come from a reputable source
• B. A phishing attack
• C. A malware distribution via email
• D. A brute force login attempt

Answer: (A)

Phishing hinges on social engineering through email, where the attacker pretends to be from a trusted source to trick you into revealing information or clicking something harmful. The description “an email disguised to look as if it has come from a reputable source” captures this deception at the heart of phishing—the goal is to fool you by appearing legitimate. If you get such a message, you should pause, check the sender’s address carefully, hover over links to see the real URL, and verify through official channels before taking any action. The other options describe either the broader idea of phishing in general, a related but different tactic of distributing malware via email, or an attack that targets passwords through repeated login attempts, which isn’t about mimicking a trusted sender in a message.