The term “social engineering” is the practice of manipulating people or groups to trick them into disclosing private information, acting in ways that could be detrimental, or making decisions that are not in their best interests. In contrast to conventional hacking methods that take advantage of technological flaws, social engineering depends on interpersonal communication and psychological manipulation.
Social engineers employ a variety of strategies to take advantage of human psychology, intuition, and trust. Typical methods of social engineering include:
Phishing is the practice of tricking people into divulging personal information, such as passwords or bank account information, by sending emails, messages, or webpages that seem to be from a reliable source.
Pretexting Creating a made-up situation or pretext—often by taking on a false identity or posing as someone else—in order to get information from the target.
Baiting is the practice of luring someone into doing acts that jeopardise their security by offering them something alluring, like a USB drive or a free software download.
Surveys and Quizzes Employing what appear to be trustworthy questionnaires or quizzes to obtain private information that may be exploited maliciously.
Impersonation is the act of pretending to be someone else in order to obtain access to data or resources, such as a coworker, an IT specialist, or an authoritative figure.
Tailgating also known as piggybacking, is the practice of physically trailing someone into a restricted area without their consent and profiting from their goodwill or courtesy.
Reverse social engineering is the art of deceiving people in positions of authority into thinking they are in charge while the attacker gently steers them in the direction of a desired result.
It takes a combination of security precautions, education, and awareness to prevent social engineering assaults. The following are some methods to guard against social engineering:
Awareness and Training of Employees:
- Conduct frequent training sessions to inform staff members about the dangers and strategies used in social engineering.
- Inform people on the significance of confirming the identity of those requesting access to or sensitive data.
Implement and Enforce Policy:
- Strong security guidelines that specify how to handle sensitive data, including identity verification and reporting questionable activity, should be established and strictly enforced.
- Make it clear what happens when security policy is broken.
Verify Information:
- People should be advised to confirm the identity of anyone asking sensitive information, especially by email or over the phone.
- Prior to supplying information, make sure that requests are legitimate by using the channels of established communication.
Using MFA (Multi Factor Authentication):
- Apply multi-factor authentication to increase security and make it harder for hackers to access accounts without proper authentication and authorisation, even if they manage to crack passwords.
Patching Systems and Applications:
- Update and patch operating systems, software, and security solutions on a regular basis to fix vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.
Physical Access:
- Use access cards, security guards, and surveillance systems to manage physical access to buildings.
- Educate staff members to report any suspicious activity and to use caution when letting outsiders into restricted areas.
Phishing Messages and Emails:
- Teach people to spot phishing texts and emails. Keep an eye out for warning signs like odd requests for private information, misspellings, and dubious email addresses.
- To recognise and stop phishing efforts, use email filtering systems.
Frequent evaluations and audits:
- To find possible weaknesses and areas for improvement, conduct routine security audits and assessments.
- Through simulated exercises, evaluate the organization’s ability to respond to social engineering threats.
Promote a Culture of Awareness:
- Encourage a security-conscious workplace culture where staff members can report questionable activity without worrying about facing consequences.
- Give praise and recognition to those who go above and beyond to keep the environment safe.
Mobile Device Security:
- Adopt mobile device security features, such as remote wipe capabilities, robust authentication, and encryption, in case a device is misplaced or stolen.
