AP Cybersecurity Unit 1 Lesson 1 Lab

AP Cyber Hub Unit 1 1.1 ▼ Lesson Ex 1 Ex 2 Lab Quiz 1.2 ▼ Lesson Ex 1 Ex 2 Lab Quiz 1.3 ▼ Lesson Ex 1 Ex 2 Lab Quiz 1.4 ▼ Lesson Ex 1 Ex 2 Lab Quiz 1.5 ▼ Lesson Ex 1 Ex 2 Lab Quiz

AP Cybersecurity — Unit 1, Topic 1.1

Lab: Phishing Email Dissection

You are a junior security analyst reviewing 4 suspicious emails flagged by your organization’s email gateway. For each email, identify the attack indicators, classify the tactics used, and assess the risk level.

🔬 Hands-On Lab Skills 1.A, 1.B, 1.C ~40–50 min 4 Email Specimens

Lab Progress: 0 / 4 Emails Analyzed 0 / 24 pts

Scoring Rubric

Each email analysis is worth 6 points. Review the criteria before you begin.

Category	Points	What You Need
Sender Verification	1 pt	Correctly identify what is suspicious about the sender address or display name
Psychological Tactics	1 pt	Identify the primary tactic (urgency, intimidation, authority, scarcity, etc.)
Suspicious Elements	1 pt	Identify at least 2 suspicious elements in the email body
Attack Classification	1 pt	Correctly classify the attack type (phishing, spear phishing, vishing, smishing, etc.)
Potential Impact	1 pt	Identify what the adversary is trying to obtain or achieve
Recommended Action	1 pt	Describe what the recipient should do

Email Specimen #1 — Difficulty: Introductory

Flagged Email — Received 9:14 AM

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Urgent!] Access Requested
Date: March 3, 2026 9:14 AM

One of your students has requested access to make a copy of a document. Click this link to authorize your student to copy your document.

If you don’t click the link, your student won’t be able to copy the document and complete their assignment.

Research shows that the faster teachers respond to students’ document-sharing requests, the more likely students are to submit assignments on-time.

— The Google Drive Team

Your Analysis

1. Sender Verification — What is suspicious about the sender?

2. Primary Psychological Tactic

3. Suspicious Elements (list at least 2)

4. Attack Classification

5. What is the adversary trying to obtain?

6. Recommended Action for the Recipient

Email Specimen #2 — Difficulty: Moderate

Flagged Email — Received 2:47 PM

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: MANDATORY: Password Reset Required Within 2 Hours
Date: March 5, 2026 2:47 PM

Dear Employee,

Our security team has detected suspicious activity on your company account. As part of our incident response protocol, all employees must reset their passwords within the next 2 hours or their accounts will be temporarily suspended.

Reset Your Password Now

This is a mandatory action required by company policy. Failure to comply will result in account suspension and you will need to contact IT in person with two forms of identification to restore access.

Thank you for your cooperation,
IT Security Department
YourCompany, Inc.

Your Analysis

1. Sender Verification

2. Primary Psychological Tactic

3. Suspicious Elements (list at least 2)

4. Attack Classification

5. What is the adversary trying to obtain?

6. Recommended Action

Email Specimen #3 — Difficulty: Challenging

Flagged Email — Received 8:02 AM

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Q1 Invoice #4892 — Payment Overdue
Date: March 6, 2026 8:02 AM

Hi Mike,

Following up on my voicemail from yesterday. Invoice #4892 for the January consulting engagement ($12,400) is now 15 days past due. I know things get busy on your end, but our accounting team is flagging this.

Could you process the payment today? Our updated banking details are in the attached invoice. We recently switched banks, so please use the new routing number on the document.

If there are any issues with the PO, just let me know and I can loop in your procurement contact.

Thanks,
Sarah Chen
Account Manager, Vendor Solutions
(555) 314-2289

Your Analysis

1. Sender Verification

2. Primary Psychological Tactic

3. Suspicious Elements (list at least 2)

4. Attack Classification

5. What is the adversary trying to obtain?

6. Recommended Action

Email Specimen #4 — Difficulty: Expert

Flagged Email — Received 6:33 PM

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Quick favor — confidential
Date: March 6, 2026 6:33 PM

Lisa,

Are you still at the office? I need a favor and it’s time-sensitive. I’m in a board meeting and can’t make a call right now.

We need to send a wire transfer of $28,500 to a vendor before end of business today to secure a discounted rate on our Q2 contract renewal. I’ve already approved it with finance but they’ve left for the day.

Can you initiate the transfer using the company account? I’ll send the vendor’s bank details in my next email. Please keep this between us for now — the board hasn’t announced the Q2 partnership yet.

Thanks,
David
Sent from my iPhone

Your Analysis

1. Sender Verification

2. Primary Psychological Tactic

3. Suspicious Elements (list at least 2)

4. Attack Classification

5. What is the adversary trying to obtain?

6. Recommended Action

Lab Complete

0 / 24

AP Exam Tip: The AP Cybersecurity exam presents email and message scenarios and asks you to identify attack types, psychological tactics, and potential impacts. Practice reading emails character-by-character — adversaries rely on you scanning quickly. Always check sender addresses, hover over links before clicking, and verify requests through a separate communication channel. The exam specifically tests whether you can distinguish phishing from spear phishing and identify layered tactics.

← Back to Exercise 2 Continue to Quiz →

AP Cybersecurity · Unit 1 · Lesson 1.1 · Lab

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Back to:Lesson 1.1 Unit 1 Study Guide Course Guide

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