If you’re planning to take the SY0-501 version of the Security+ exam, you should understand some other common attacks in addition to malware. This includes recognizing attacks via email and phone.
For example, can you answer this question?
Q. Maggie reports that she keeps receiving unwanted emails about mortgages. What does this describe?
A. Phishing
B. Spear phishing
C. Spam
D. Vishing
More, do you know why the correct answer is correct and the incorrect answers are incorrect? The answer and explanation are available at the end of this post.
Spam
Spam is unwanted or unsolicited email. Depending on which study you quote, between 80 percent and 92 percent of all Internet email is spam. Some spam is harmless advertisements, while much more is malicious. Spam can include malicious links, malicious code, or malicious attachments. Even when it’s not malicious, when only 1 of 10 emails is valid, it can waste a lot of your time.
In some cases, legitimate companies encourage users to opt in to their email lists and then send them email about their products. When users opt in to a mailing list, they agree to the terms. On the surface, you’d think that this means that you agree to receive email from the company and that’s true. However, terms often include agreeing to allow their partners to send you email, which means the original company can share your email address with others.
CompTIA Security+ Study Guide
The
CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-501 Study Guide
is an update to the top-selling SY0-201, SY0-301, and SY0-401 study guides, which have helped thousands of readers pass the exam the first time they took it. It includes the same elements readers raved about in the previous three versions.
Each of the eleven chapters presents topics in an easy to understand manner and includes real-world examples of security principles in action.
You’ll understand the important and relevant security topics for the Security+ exam, without being overloaded with unnecessary details. Additionally, each chapter includes a comprehensive review section to help you focus on what’s important.

Over 300 realistic practice test questions with in-depth explanations will help you test your comprehension and readiness for the exam. The book includes:
- A 75 question pre-test
- A 75 question post-test
- Practice test questions at the end of every chapter.
Each practice test question includes a detailed explanation to help you understand the content and the reasoning behind the question. You’ll be ready to take and pass the exam the first time you take it.
If you plan to pursue any of the advanced security certifications, this guide will also help you lay a solid foundation of security knowledge. Learn this material, and you’ll be a step ahead for other exams. This SY0-501 study guide is for any IT or security professional interested in advancing in their field, and a must-read for anyone striving to master the basics of IT security.
Kindle edition also available.
Legitimate companies don’t send you malicious spam, but they might send you more email than you want. Laws require them to include the ability to opt out, indicating you don’t want to receive any more emails from them. Once you opt out, you shouldn’t receive any more emails from that company.
Criminals use a variety of methods to collect email addresses. They buy lists from other criminals and harvest them from web sites. Some malware scans address books of infected computers to collect email. Because they are criminals, they don’t care about laws, but they might include opt-out instructions in spam they send. However, instead of using this to remove you from their email list, attackers use this as confirmation that your email address is valid. The result is more spam.

Vishing
Vishing attacks use the phone system to trick users into giving up personal and financial information. It often uses Voice over IP (VoIP) technology and tries to trick the user similar to other phishing attacks. When the attack uses VoIP, it can spoof caller ID, making it appear as though the call came from a real company.
In one form, a machine leaves a phone message saying that you need to return the call concerning one of your credit cards. In another form, you receive an email with the same information. If you call, you’ll hear an automated recording giving some vague excuse about a policy and prompting you to verify your identity. One by one, the recording prompts you for more information, such as your name, birthday, Social Security number, credit card number, expiration date, and so on. Sometimes, the recording asks for usernames and passwords. If you give all the requested information, the recording indicates they have verified your account. In reality, you just gave up valuable information on yourself.
Full Security+ Course
SY0-501 Full Security+ Course
Helping you Pass the First Time
Online access includes all of the content from the
CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-501 Study Guide
- Introduction
- About the exam (including information on the number of questions, test duration, passing score, types of questions and more. Also includes a listing of the exam objectives)
- 75 question pre-assessment exam
- Mastering Security Basics (full content from Chapter 1 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Understanding Identity and Access Management (full content from Chapter 2 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Exploring Network Technologies and Tools (full content from Chapter 3 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Securing Your Network (full content from Chapter 4 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Securing Hosts and Data (full content from Chapter 5 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Comparing Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Common Attacks (full content from Chapter 6 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Protecting Against Advanced Attacks (full content from Chapter 7 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Using Risk Management Tools (full content from Chapter 8 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Implementing Controls to Protect Assets (full content from Chapter 9 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Understanding Cryptography and PKI (full content from Chapter 10 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- Implementing Policies to Mitigate Risks (full content from Chapter 11 of the study guide including the exam topic review and 15 practice test questions)
- 75 question post-assessment exam
- Glossary
Get the SY0-501 Full Security+ Course Here
Test your readiness with these quality materials
Random 75-question tests
Random practice tests from the all of the practice test questions in the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-501 Study Guide. All questions include explanations so you’ll know why the correct answers are correct, and why the incorrect answers are incorrect.
3 sets Performance-based Questions
Three new sets of performance-based questions with a total of 30 questions. These new questions use a new testing engine that includes realistic drag and drop, matching, sorting, and fill in the blank questions.
Flashcard Set
- 494 Online Security+ Glossary Flashcards
- 222 Online Security+ Acronyms Flashcards
- 223 Online Security+ Remember This Slide from the popular CompTIA Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-501 Study Guide
Audio – SY0-501 Security+ Remember This Audio Files
Learn by Listening. Over one hour and 20 minutes of audio (MP3 downloads.)
Audio – SY0-501 Security+ Question and Answer Audio Files
Learn by Listening. Over two hours hour and 53 minutes of audio (MP3 downloads.)Bonus #1
Audio from the end of chapter reviews from each of the chapters in the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-501 Study Guide

. Over one hour and 40 minutes of additional audio.
Bonus #2
Access to all of the online content that is available for free to anyone that purchases the
CompTIA Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-501 Study Guide
. This includes labs, extra practice test questions, and supplementary materials
Bonus #3
Access the study materials for a total of 60 days because sometimes life happens.Get the SY0-501 Full Security+ Course Here
Another example of vishing is just a regular phone call from a criminal. A popular ploy is a call from a company claiming to be “Credit Services” and offering to give you lower credit card rates. They play around with caller ID and have it display anything they want. A common ploy is to display a number similar to yours, making them appear local. They often announce, “This is your second and final notice,” trying to evoke a sense of urgency.
If you answer, the automated system forwards you to a live person who begins asking a series of “qualifying” questions, such as how much credit card debt you have and what your interest rates are. They then promise that they can help you lower your debt and get you a better rate. Next, they start asking some personal questions. They might ask for the last four digits of your Social Security number so they can “verify your account is in good standing.” They might ask you for the code on your credit card “to verify you still have it.”
Eventually, they hope to get your credit card number, expiration date, and code so that they can use it to post fraudulent charges. Some people have reported similar callers trying to get their bank information so that they can transfer money out of the accounts.
They hang up right away if you ask them to take you off their list, or stop calling. Similarly, they hang up when they hear words such as criminal, thief, and other words I’ll leave out of this book. Some even reply with insults. They’ve called me so often, I’ve played along a few times. I love it when they ask for information on my credit card. I respond by saying, “Can you hold on so I can get it?” I then put the phone in a drawer and go back to work. Once, they stayed on the line for more than three hours waiting for me.
Security+ Practice Test Questions
SY0-501 Practice Test Questions
Over 300 realistic Security+ practice test questions
All questions include explanations so you’ll know why the correct answers are correct,
and why the incorrect answers are incorrect.
Pass the Security+ Exam
the First Time You Take It
Multiple quiz formats to let you use these questions based on the way you learn.
- Learn mode – randomized. View each of the questions in random order. Learn mode allows you to keep selecting answers until you select the correct answer. Once you select the correct answer, you’ll see the explanation. Click here to see how learn mode works.
- Learn mode – not randomized. View each of the questions in the same order. Use this if you want to make sure that you see all of the questions. Learn mode allows you to keep selecting answers until you select the correct answer. Once you select the correct answer, you’ll see the explanation. Click here to see how learn mode works.
- Test mode – randomized. View each of the questions in random order. In test mode, you can only see the correct answers and explanations after you complete the test. Click here to see how test mode works.
- Test mode – not randomized. View each of the questions in the same order. In test mode, you can only see the correct answers and explanations after you complete the test. Click here to see how test mode works.
- Test mode – 75 random questions. View 75 random questions from the full test bank similar to how the Security+ exam has a potential maximum of 75 multiple choice questions. In test mode, you can only see the correct answers and explanations after you complete the test. Click here to see how test mode works.
Get the full bank of SY0-501 Practice Test Questions Here
SY0-501 Practice Test Questions
INCLUDES QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU PREPARE
FOR THE NEW PERFORMANCE BASED QUESTIONS
Bonus – Performance Based Questions
Three sets of performance-based questions including over 30 questions. These questions show you what you can expect in the live exam. They include drag and drop, matching, sorting, and fill in the blank questions. See a
demo here.Bonus – Extra Practice Test Questions
New multiple-choice questions in the extra test bank. Questions are added occasionally. You can see what has been added recently
here.
Get the full bank of Security+ (SYO-501) Practice Test Questions Here
Get the full bank of Security+ Practice Test Questions
Click here if you’re looking for SY0-501 Full Study Package
Q. Maggie reports that she keeps receiving unwanted emails about mortgages. What does this describe?
A. Phishing
B. Spear phishing
C. Spam
D. Vishing
Answer is C. Spam is unwanted emails from any source.
Phishing and spear phishing are types of attacks using email.
Vishing is similar to phishing, but it uses telephone technology.
See Chapter 6 of the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-501 Study Guide for more information on common attacks.