<aside> 💡 Social engineering is a deception method that employs interpersonal communication to obtain sensitive information. Because it is easier to abuse people than to uncover a network or software weakness, social engineering has emerged as one of the simplest and most common attack methods, laying the groundwork for cyber threats. This article seeks to inform readers about the concept of social engineering, how it operates, the different types of social engineering and warning signs to watch out for to avoid being a victim of social engineering.
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Social engineering is the simplest way for cyber criminals to exploit users and infect their personal devices such as laptop and smart phones. Social engineering is the psychological manipulation that exploits and tricks individuals into revealing sensitive and confidential information. Social engineering attacks tend to have one of two goals:
Social engineering relies on human error rather than flaws in software and operating systems, making it particularly dangerous and challenging to spot as user errors are significantly less likely to be predicted than malware-based intrusions.
Attacks by social engineers involve several steps. A perpetrator first researches the target to obtain background information such as likely points of entry and lax security measures to prepare for an assault. The attacker then tries to gain the victim's trust by appealing to their emotions, persuading them, and employing devious ways to gain their trust before utilizing it against them. Once trust and weakness have been developed, the attacker will disengage after taking advantage of the victim.
Figure: Social Engineering Attack Cycle
Social engineering has become the backbone of many cyber threats. The following are the four most prevalent types of social engineering attacks:
As the term suggests, baiting attacks use a fictitious promise to spark a victim's curiosity or sense of avarice to trick victims into falling into a trap where their personal information is stolen or their systems are infected with malware. Pop-up advertisements such as free music, game and movie downloads or USB sticks that appear to be receiving free storage being passed out in real life can all be used as bait in baiting schemes.