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Question

Difficulty: MediumThreat Actors, Attributes, and Attack Vectors

A security analyst at an e-commerce firm discovers unauthorized administrative access on an internal transactional database. Investigation reveals that the intruder gained access by compromising an automated software update pipeline managed by an external service contractor trusted by the organization. Which of the following attack vectors was primarily exploited to achieve initial access?

  1. Supply chainAnswer
  2. B
    Spear phishing
  3. C
    Direct access
  4. D
    Watering hole

Answer

Supply chain attack vector
The correct answer is supply chain because the threat actor targeted a third-party vendor's software deployment infrastructure to bypass internal boundary controls through pre-established trust relationships.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the entry path described in the scenario
The intruder gained initial entry through a trusted external contractor's automated software deployment pipeline.
Identifying how the threat actor traversed organizational boundaries determines the attack vector category.
2
Evaluate the vector definitions
Compromising third-party vendor code or deployment mechanisms to breach a target organization is classified as a supply chain attack.
Supply chain vectors exploit implicit trust relationships between organizations and their third-party providers.

Key Concept

Supply Chain Attack Vectors
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Threat Actors, Attributes, and Attack Vectors

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