Social Engineering
Attack Prevention Strategies and Techniques
Social engineering is a deceitful tactic that exploits human psychology to attain illicit entry to systems, networks, or data. It preys on individuals by deceiving them into revealing sensitive information or carrying out actions they wouldn’t typically undertake.
Social Engineering or Human Hacking
Social engineering is a technique used by attackers to manipulate and deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information or performing actions that compromise security. It involves psychological manipulation rather than technical exploits. Social engineers often rely on human trust, curiosity, and helpfulness to gain unauthorized access to systems, networks, or sensitive data.
Common social engineering tactics include phishing emails, phone scams, impersonation, pretexting, baiting, and tailgating. Awareness and preventive measures are crucial to protect against social engineering attacks and maintain the security of individuals and organizations.
Common Social Engineering Tactics
Pretexting
Attackers create a fabricated scenario or pretext to gain the trust of individuals and manipulate them into revealing sensitive information or granting access to restricted areas.
Baiting
Baiting involves offering something enticing, such as a free USB drive or a gift card, in exchange for specific actions or information. These physical or digital baits may contain malware or be used to gather sensitive data.
Tailgating
Unauthorized individuals who enter restricted areas by following authorized persons without proper authentication are engaging in tailgating. This behavior takes advantage of people’s tendency to hold doors open for others.
Impersonation
Attackers impersonate trusted individuals, such as IT technicians, colleagues, or company executives, to manipulate targets into revealing confidential information or performing unauthorised actions.
Dumpster Diving
Dumpster diving refers to searching through trash or discarded materials to gather sensitive information, such as printed documents, passwords, or access cards.
Phishing and Social Engineering Prevention Strategies and Techniques
User Education
Educating users about common phishing techniques, warning signs, and best practices for identifying and reporting suspicious emails, messages, or phone calls
Email Security
Implementing email filters, spam detection, and web filtering tools to identify and block phishing attempts.
Identity Protection
Enforcing strong authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication, to protect user accounts from unauthorised access.
system and Software Patching
Regularly updating and patching systems and software to address security vulnerabilities that attackers may exploit.
Traffic Monitoring
Monitoring and analysing network traffic for unusual or malicious activities, employing intrusion detection and prevention systems.
Phishing Simulation
Conducting security awareness training and simulated phishing exercises to educate users and reinforce good security practices.