Social engineering: how to protect yourself from manipulation in the digital world
What is social engineering?
Social engineering is a method of manipulating people to gain sensitive information, access to resources or other objects of value. Attackers use psychological techniques to get you to take actions that will result in the leakage of your data or financial loss.How does social engineering work?
Social engineers often use the following techniques:
Phishing: sending emails or messages that mimic messages from banks, government agencies, or other trusted organizations. The goal is to encourage you to click on a link or open an attachment containing malware.
Pretexting: creating a plausible cover story to gain access to information. For example, a scammer might pose as an IT employee and ask you for your password to regain access to your account.
Qui pro quo: offering a reciprocal favor in exchange for confidential information.
Shoulder surfing: watching your actions, such as when you enter your password.
Public information gathering: collecting information about you from social networks, forums, and other public sources to create more personalized attacks.
Why is social engineering so dangerous?
High efficiency: Social engineering is often successful because people tend to trust others and make mistakes under pressure.
Low cost: Social engineering does not require expensive hardware or software.
Difficult to detect: Social attacks are often disguised as normal communications, making them difficult to detect.
How can I protect myself from social engineering?
Be vigilant: Never open suspicious links or attachments, even if they come from someone you know.
Verify sender addresses: Make sure that the sender's email address or phone number really belongs to the organization from which the message is purportedly sent.
Use strong passwords: Create unique and complex passwords for each account.
Enable two-factor authentication: This extra layer of security will help protect your accounts even if your password is compromised.
Be careful on social media: Limit access to your personal information and don't share too many details about your life.
Educate yourself on the basics of cybersecurity: Regularly update your knowledge of the latest threats and defense techniques.
What is social engineering?
Social engineering is a method of manipulating people to gain sensitive information, access to resources or other objects of value. Attackers use psychological techniques to get you to take actions that will result in the leakage of your data or financial loss.How does social engineering work?
Social engineers often use the following techniques:
Phishing: sending emails or messages that mimic messages from banks, government agencies, or other trusted organizations. The goal is to encourage you to click on a link or open an attachment containing malware.
Pretexting: creating a plausible cover story to gain access to information. For example, a scammer might pose as an IT employee and ask you for your password to regain access to your account.
Qui pro quo: offering a reciprocal favor in exchange for confidential information.
Shoulder surfing: watching your actions, such as when you enter your password.
Public information gathering: collecting information about you from social networks, forums, and other public sources to create more personalized attacks.
Why is social engineering so dangerous?
High efficiency: Social engineering is often successful because people tend to trust others and make mistakes under pressure.
Low cost: Social engineering does not require expensive hardware or software.
Difficult to detect: Social attacks are often disguised as normal communications, making them difficult to detect.
How can I protect myself from social engineering?
Be vigilant: Never open suspicious links or attachments, even if they come from someone you know.
Verify sender addresses: Make sure that the sender's email address or phone number really belongs to the organization from which the message is purportedly sent.
Use strong passwords: Create unique and complex passwords for each account.
Enable two-factor authentication: This extra layer of security will help protect your accounts even if your password is compromised.
Be careful on social media: Limit access to your personal information and don't share too many details about your life.
Educate yourself on the basics of cybersecurity: Regularly update your knowledge of the latest threats and defense techniques.