Social Engineering
What is Social Engineering?
Social Engineering is a manipulation tactic used for malicious activities. Cybercriminals heavily use Social Engineering to manipulate users’ behavior, exploiting human psychology to trick individuals into performing unsafe actions.
Bad actors usually have more success relying on Social Engineering to exploit the human element rather than spending hours dedicated to hacking someone’s password.
Social Engineering can be used in personal and corporate contexts, and it covers a wide range of malicious activities. Ultimately, these attacks conclude with an action taken by the victim, which extends from sharing sensitive information to downloading and installing files infected with malware.
Most popular types of Social Engineering Attacks
The following cyberattacks heavily use Social Engineering tactics:
- Social Media Scams
- Phishing Emails
- Smishing (SMS Phishing)
- Vishing (Voice Phishing)
Consequences of Social Engineering Attacks
Social Engineering relies on human emotions such as fear, urgency, and curiosity to attract victims. Attackers use this human hacking technique either online and in-person to lure victims into performing a broad range of activities, such as:
- Transferring money
- Sharing sensitive information
- Downloading and installing malicious files
- Providing password and login information
How to Prevent Social Engineering Attacks
Educate Users
Allow employees to report suspicious emails
Use firewalls and email filters
Define and enforce strict password management policies
Run personalized phishing simulations
Add an extra verification layer by using two-factor authentication (2FA)
Educate your users about social engineering tactics and take your cyber awareness strategy to the next level!
