What can be a consequence of email spoofing?

• A. It can pose a real security threat and lead to phishing attacks.
• B. It can improve email deliverability.
• C. It can encrypt email contents.
• D. It can enhance network performance.

Answer: (A)

Email spoofing involves forging the sender’s identity in an email to make it look like it’s coming from someone else. The big risk here is that recipients may trust the message and act on it, which is the gateway to phishing and other scams. When attackers impersonate a familiar or trusted sender, they can coax people into clicking dangerous links, opening malware-laden attachments, or entering credentials, leading to account compromises, data theft, or financial loss. That’s why the consequence described—posing a real security threat and enabling phishing attacks—fits best.

The other options don’t align with what spoofing achieves. Spoofing doesn’t improve deliverability; it can actually hurt it as filters flag suspicious messages. It doesn’t encrypt content, so it doesn’t provide encryption benefits. It doesn’t enhance network performance, and spoofing has no direct positive impact on how the network runs.