Social engineering is a dangerous weapon many cybercriminals use to achieve their nefarious goals. It leverages psychological manipulation to deceive individuals into divulging confidential or personal information. Unlike traditional hacking, which relies on exploiting software vulnerabilities, social engineering ...
Types of social engineering attacks One of the best ways to protect yourself from a social engineering attack is to learn about the common methods used in social engineering. These days, social engineering happens frequently online, even via social media scams, where attackers pose as a trusted ...
Social engineering is the act of exploiting human weaknesses to gain access to personal information and protected systems.
Perhaps the most famous example of a social engineering attack comes from the legendary Trojan War in which the Greeks were able to sneak into the city of Troy and win the war by hiding inside a giant wooden horse that was presented to the Trojan army as a symbol of peace. In more mode...
Social engineering relies on exploiting powerful and near-universal emotions such as greed or fear instead of relying on technical hacking.
As one of the most popular social engineering attack types,phishingscams are email and text message campaigns aimed at creating a sense of urgency, curiosity or fear in victims. It then prods them into revealing sensitive information, clicking on links to malicious websites, or opening attachments...
Social Engineering Types Any tactics used to gain permissions or valuable information from your employees falls under a general social engineering attack type. Social engineering encompasses a wide variety of tactics — from phishing scams to showing up at the office as a package delivery personnel —...
Social engineering refersto a wide range of attacks that leverage human interaction and emotions to manipulate the target. During the attack, the victim is fooled into giving away sensitive information or compromising security. A social engineering attack typically takes multiple steps. The attacker wil...
Imposters or social engineers can be anywhere on the internet. But many prefer the old fashioned way; they use the phone. This type of social engineering attack is known asVishing. They recreate the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system of a company. They attach it to a toll-free number...
Withdrawal phase: After they have achieved their goals, attackers will try to erase all traces of their illicit activities. In some cases, the victims would not even be aware that an attack has occurred. Common Types of Social Engineering ...