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In this article I'll tell about social engineering, let us begin then.
What is social engineering?
The definition of social engineering covers various types of psychological manipulation. Sometimes, social engineering can lead to positive outcomes, like in the case of promoting healthy behavior. In terms of information security, however, social engineering is often used solely for the attackers benefit. In these cases, social engineering involves manipulation to obtain sensitive information, such as personal or financial information. So, social engineering can also be defined as a type of cybercrime.
Why is social engineering so dangerous?
There is something particularly insidious about the manipulative tactics of social engineering. Often, victims of social engineering do not even realize theyre being manipulated until its too late, and the thief has already gotten access to the sensitive data they were looking for. While cognitive biases may have adaptive purposes, they can certainly be used against us. Social engineering attacks trawl for users private information, and that can lead to identity theft, identity fraud, extortion, and more.
And its not just your finances that are at stake sometimes victims credit scores and online reputations tumble, and the debt in their name can skyrocket. While such situations are reversible, it can take weeks and endless back-and-forths with companies and authorities to clear your name. Using antivirus software can help, but it doesnt make your brain hack-proof. The best way to ward off social engineering attacks is to learn to recognize them when you see them, and to avoıd them as much as possible.
If you think youve fallen victim to a social engineering attack and someone has accessed your personal information, Avast BreachGuard can help. BreachGuard scans the dark web to check if your personal information has leaked, and it will guide you in how to respond if it has.
What do social engineering attacks look like?
Have you ever been socially engineered? You may not have noticed, because social engineering attacks take on many different forms. In the context of information security, social engineering attacks often appear as an email, text, or voice message from a seemingly innocuous source. You might think you can spot a suspicious email on your own, but attackers have gotten much more sophisticated with their delivery.
Some famous social engineering attacks include the 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures, the 2016 email hack of the Democratic Party in the US, and the 2017 hack of the Ethereum Classic cryptocurrency, where hackers impersonated the owner of Classic Ether Wallet and stole thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency.
More recently, Twitter became the site of social engineering attacks where the accounts of Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and others were hacked in an attempt to solicit Bitcoin from their followers. These cases show that even organizations and individuals that should have sophisticated defenses against cyberattacks can fall victim to social engineering.
Common types of social engineering attacks
Instances of social engineering may be hard to identify, but that doesnt mean its impossible to spot these scams. There are nearly as many types of social engineering attacks as there are cognitive biases to exploit, and some even make the news every now and then. Weve already mentioned some notable examples of social engineering attacks. Now lets review the most common social engineering techniques out there.
Email spamming
Email spamming is one of the oldest forms of online social engineering and is responsible for essentially all the junk in your inbox. At best, email spam is annoying; at worst, its not just spam but a scam to get your personal information. A lot of email servers automatically screen for malicious spam, but the process isnt perfect and sometimes dangerous emails slip into your inbox.
Phishing
Similar to email spamming, phishing is usually done through email, but its always masked as legitimate. Phishing is a type of social engineering attack in which emails disguised as being from a trusted source are actually designed to trick victims into giving away personal or financial information. After all, why should we doubt the authenticity of an email that comes from a friend, family member, or business we frequent? Phishing scams deliberately take advantage of this trust.
Baiting
Social engineering attacks dont always originate online they can start offline, too. Baiting refers to when an attacker leaves a malware-infected device such as a USB drive where someone is likely to find it. These devices are often labeled provocatively to entice curiosity. If someone who is particularly curious (or perhaps greedy) picks it up and plugs it into their own computer, they may unwittingly infect their device with malware. Obviously, its not a good idea to pick up unknown flash drives and load them onto your device.
Vishing
Vishing, also known as voice phishing, is a sophisticated form of phishing attack. In these attacks, a phone number may be spoofed to appear legitimate, as attackers disguise themselves as technicians, fellow employees, IT personnel, etc. Some attackers may also use voice changers to further conceal their identity.
Smishing
Smishing is a type of phishing attack that comes in the form of text messages, or SMS. These attacks usually solicit immediate action from a victim, by including malicious links to click or phone numbers to contact. They often ask victims to disclose personal information that the attackers can then use for their benefit. Smishing attacks often convey a sense of urgency and exploit peoples trust of smartphone messages to get them to act quickly and fall for the attack.
Pretexting
Pretexting is a type of social engineering attack that involves pretending to be someone else in order to obtain private information. Pretexting attacks can happen online or off, and its now easier than ever for would-be pretexters to research and stalk potential victims to come up with a credible story (or pretext) to fool them with.
Pretexting attacks are among the most effective, because they can be the hardest to spot. Attackers often do a lot of research to pass themselves off as authentic. Its not easy to see through a pretexters ruse, so you should always be very careful when sharing confidential information with strangers, even customer service reps, IT techs, and others who might otherwise seem legitimate.
These are just the most common types of social engineering attacks that are used to access victims personal information. Attackers keep finding new ways to trick humans and computers alike, especially with long-standing social engineering attacks like email spamming and pretexting.
Whos most at risk?
Anyone can be a victim of social engineering. We all have our own cognitive biases, and were not aware of them most of the time. Some groups are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly who may lack tech-savviness, often have fewer human interactions, and can be perceived as having plenty of money and assets to part with. But technological know-how alone, even in business, cant protect people from psychological manipulation.
How to prevent social engineering
Once youre caught in a social engineers web, it can be difficult to disentangle yourself. The best way to prevent social engineering attacks is to know how to spot them. Thankfully, you dont need to be a tech expert to practice good social engineering prevention you just need to use your intuition and some old-fashioned common sense.
Deploy trusted antivirus software
Change your spam email settings
Research the source
If it sounds too good to be true It probably is
Its pretty clear that celebrities simply giving away thousands of dollars in Bitcoin sounds too good to be true. So in this form of social engineering attack, intuition and common sense can go a long way be wary of offers that tout lavish rewards for a seemingly token amount of money or information. And if the solicitation seems to come from someone you know, ask yourself, Would they really ask me for this information in this way? Would they really share this link with me?
Protect yourself against social engineering attacks
When it comes to social engineering attacks, an ounce of prevention, as they say, is worth a pound of cure. And in many cases, there is no cure to social engineering other than changing your passwords and absorbing any financial losses with however much dignity you can muster. But as powerful as the human brain is, it can sometimes be set up to fail.
//Quoted
In this article I'll tell about social engineering, let us begin then.
What is social engineering?
The definition of social engineering covers various types of psychological manipulation. Sometimes, social engineering can lead to positive outcomes, like in the case of promoting healthy behavior. In terms of information security, however, social engineering is often used solely for the attackers benefit. In these cases, social engineering involves manipulation to obtain sensitive information, such as personal or financial information. So, social engineering can also be defined as a type of cybercrime.
Why is social engineering so dangerous?
There is something particularly insidious about the manipulative tactics of social engineering. Often, victims of social engineering do not even realize theyre being manipulated until its too late, and the thief has already gotten access to the sensitive data they were looking for. While cognitive biases may have adaptive purposes, they can certainly be used against us. Social engineering attacks trawl for users private information, and that can lead to identity theft, identity fraud, extortion, and more.
And its not just your finances that are at stake sometimes victims credit scores and online reputations tumble, and the debt in their name can skyrocket. While such situations are reversible, it can take weeks and endless back-and-forths with companies and authorities to clear your name. Using antivirus software can help, but it doesnt make your brain hack-proof. The best way to ward off social engineering attacks is to learn to recognize them when you see them, and to avoıd them as much as possible.
If you think youve fallen victim to a social engineering attack and someone has accessed your personal information, Avast BreachGuard can help. BreachGuard scans the dark web to check if your personal information has leaked, and it will guide you in how to respond if it has.
What do social engineering attacks look like?
Have you ever been socially engineered? You may not have noticed, because social engineering attacks take on many different forms. In the context of information security, social engineering attacks often appear as an email, text, or voice message from a seemingly innocuous source. You might think you can spot a suspicious email on your own, but attackers have gotten much more sophisticated with their delivery.
Some famous social engineering attacks include the 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures, the 2016 email hack of the Democratic Party in the US, and the 2017 hack of the Ethereum Classic cryptocurrency, where hackers impersonated the owner of Classic Ether Wallet and stole thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency.
More recently, Twitter became the site of social engineering attacks where the accounts of Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and others were hacked in an attempt to solicit Bitcoin from their followers. These cases show that even organizations and individuals that should have sophisticated defenses against cyberattacks can fall victim to social engineering.
Common types of social engineering attacks
Instances of social engineering may be hard to identify, but that doesnt mean its impossible to spot these scams. There are nearly as many types of social engineering attacks as there are cognitive biases to exploit, and some even make the news every now and then. Weve already mentioned some notable examples of social engineering attacks. Now lets review the most common social engineering techniques out there.
Email spamming
Email spamming is one of the oldest forms of online social engineering and is responsible for essentially all the junk in your inbox. At best, email spam is annoying; at worst, its not just spam but a scam to get your personal information. A lot of email servers automatically screen for malicious spam, but the process isnt perfect and sometimes dangerous emails slip into your inbox.
Phishing
Similar to email spamming, phishing is usually done through email, but its always masked as legitimate. Phishing is a type of social engineering attack in which emails disguised as being from a trusted source are actually designed to trick victims into giving away personal or financial information. After all, why should we doubt the authenticity of an email that comes from a friend, family member, or business we frequent? Phishing scams deliberately take advantage of this trust.
Baiting
Social engineering attacks dont always originate online they can start offline, too. Baiting refers to when an attacker leaves a malware-infected device such as a USB drive where someone is likely to find it. These devices are often labeled provocatively to entice curiosity. If someone who is particularly curious (or perhaps greedy) picks it up and plugs it into their own computer, they may unwittingly infect their device with malware. Obviously, its not a good idea to pick up unknown flash drives and load them onto your device.
Vishing
Vishing, also known as voice phishing, is a sophisticated form of phishing attack. In these attacks, a phone number may be spoofed to appear legitimate, as attackers disguise themselves as technicians, fellow employees, IT personnel, etc. Some attackers may also use voice changers to further conceal their identity.
Smishing
Smishing is a type of phishing attack that comes in the form of text messages, or SMS. These attacks usually solicit immediate action from a victim, by including malicious links to click or phone numbers to contact. They often ask victims to disclose personal information that the attackers can then use for their benefit. Smishing attacks often convey a sense of urgency and exploit peoples trust of smartphone messages to get them to act quickly and fall for the attack.
Pretexting
Pretexting is a type of social engineering attack that involves pretending to be someone else in order to obtain private information. Pretexting attacks can happen online or off, and its now easier than ever for would-be pretexters to research and stalk potential victims to come up with a credible story (or pretext) to fool them with.
Pretexting attacks are among the most effective, because they can be the hardest to spot. Attackers often do a lot of research to pass themselves off as authentic. Its not easy to see through a pretexters ruse, so you should always be very careful when sharing confidential information with strangers, even customer service reps, IT techs, and others who might otherwise seem legitimate.
These are just the most common types of social engineering attacks that are used to access victims personal information. Attackers keep finding new ways to trick humans and computers alike, especially with long-standing social engineering attacks like email spamming and pretexting.
Whos most at risk?
Anyone can be a victim of social engineering. We all have our own cognitive biases, and were not aware of them most of the time. Some groups are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly who may lack tech-savviness, often have fewer human interactions, and can be perceived as having plenty of money and assets to part with. But technological know-how alone, even in business, cant protect people from psychological manipulation.
How to prevent social engineering
Once youre caught in a social engineers web, it can be difficult to disentangle yourself. The best way to prevent social engineering attacks is to know how to spot them. Thankfully, you dont need to be a tech expert to practice good social engineering prevention you just need to use your intuition and some old-fashioned common sense.
Deploy trusted antivirus software
Change your spam email settings
Research the source
If it sounds too good to be true It probably is
Its pretty clear that celebrities simply giving away thousands of dollars in Bitcoin sounds too good to be true. So in this form of social engineering attack, intuition and common sense can go a long way be wary of offers that tout lavish rewards for a seemingly token amount of money or information. And if the solicitation seems to come from someone you know, ask yourself, Would they really ask me for this information in this way? Would they really share this link with me?
Protect yourself against social engineering attacks
When it comes to social engineering attacks, an ounce of prevention, as they say, is worth a pound of cure. And in many cases, there is no cure to social engineering other than changing your passwords and absorbing any financial losses with however much dignity you can muster. But as powerful as the human brain is, it can sometimes be set up to fail.
//Quoted
