Over the years, social engineering assaults have been a regular phenomenon against companies. It has become more and more sophisticated.
There's no 'stop sign' for cybercrimes any time soon, needless-to-say. Instead, hackers have come up with more innovative tactics to trick staff and individuals into sharing confidential credentials.
It's high time for organizations to do diligent analysis and use the right resources to stay ahead of fraudsters.
What is Social Engineering?
Social engineering is a cyberattack in which hackers trick unsuspecting users psychologically into making safety errors and giving up their sensitive details.
In order to trick victims into clicking malicious links or physical tailgating attacks, social engineering includes the perpetrator using human emotions like fear, interest, greed, rage, etc.
Social Engineering Attack Techniques
Here is a short rundown of the most common scams used against modern companies and individuals in social engineering.
Phishing
The most prevalent and widely successful form of attack on social engineering is phishing. By email, chat, web ad, or website, the fraudster uses trickery and deception to force an individual or organization to reveal their PII and other valuables.
Spear Phishing
Another form of social engineering is spear phishing, where the fraudster does some background research on the personal and professional life of the victim to establish the right excuse.
Baiting
Baiting is where the fraudster uses greed or interest to lure and manipulate the victim into handing over their login credentials with false promises.
Tailgating
Tailgating occurs when someone crosses into a restricted area without adequate authentication by physically bypassing the security measures in place.
Scareware
Scareware is a malware tactic in which the fraudster perceives a risk of misleading users into visiting sites infected with malware and purchasing malicious software.
Signs of Social Engineering Attacks
Understanding the warning signs and staying away from threats is one of the best ways to defend against social engineering. A few of the symptoms of alert include:
- Calling for urgent help.
- Asking for your data to be checked.
- Overly friendly or eager acting.
- Acting anxious when asked by the counter.
- Over-emphasizing details.
- Luring with too good deals to be real.
- Threatening reprimands if they ignore their demands.
See the infographic created by LoginRadius to learn more about Social Engineering Attacks prevention and best practices.