Which statement correctly describes pharming as an attack?

• A. It relies on email to direct victims to a fake site
• B. It requires clicking a link to reach the imitation site
• C. It does not rely on clicking a link in an email
• D. It targets only social networks

Answer: (C)

Pharming redirects you at the DNS or local-host level, so you can end up on a malicious site even if you don’t click a link in an email. Instead of tricking you into visiting a fake site through social engineering, pharming corrupts the mechanism that translates a website name into an IP address. A user might type a legitimate URL or click something that looks normal, but due to DNS poisoning or a modified hosts file on their computer, the request is sent to the attacker’s server. The attacker’s site can mimic the real one to steal credentials or sensitive data. This is why the statement that it does not rely on clicking a link in an email best captures the essence of pharming. It can affect any site, not just social networks.