Social engineering attacks use our trust, greed, fear, curiosity, and even our desire to help others to their advantage. 75% of the people who took part in a study said that social engineering and phishing attacks are the biggest threat to their company's cybersecurity. Cybersecurity threats are changing, and while the number of simple attacks may go down, more complex ones will become more common. To stay safe, you need to be aware and know what to do.
Carlos Salas, an engineering manager at NordLayer, talks about 10 ways hackers can use social engineering to attack both people and businesses. Salas says, "Social engineering is one of the easiest ways to get sensitive information, especially when employees haven't been taught how to spot and stop it." Because every member of the organization could be a target, these kinds of attacks can be stopped with interactive and useful training. Below, he talks about what he knows about how to avoid any possible loss and gives examples of these kinds of attacks.
What is social engineering and how to prevent social engineering attacks?
Social engineering is a form of cyberattack in which attackers manipulate people into divulging confidential information or performing certain actions that may not be in their best interests. These attacks are often successful because they exploit human behavior rather than technical weaknesses in software or hardware.
There are several techniques that attackers use in social engineering attacks, including phishing, baiting, pretexting, and tailgating. Phishing involves sending fraudulent emails that appear to be from a trustworthy source in order to trick people into revealing sensitive information. Baiting involves leaving a tempting item, such as a USB drive or a CD, in a public place in the hope that someone will pick it up and use it, allowing the attacker to gain access to the victim's system. Pretexting involves creating a false scenario or pretext to trick someone into giving up information or performing an action. Tailgating involves following someone into a secure area without proper authorization.
To prevent social engineering attacks, it's important to educate yourself and your employees about the various techniques used by attackers. This can include providing training on how to recognize phishing emails and other suspicious communications, establishing clear security policies and procedures, and implementing technical safeguards like firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
1. Baiting
Baiting attacks use a false promise to pique the victim's curiosity or desire to know more. Social engineers use bait to trick people into falling for a trap that steals their personal information or puts malware on their computers. For example, infected USB memory sticks are left in parking lots or offices, luring people to look at what's on them. Don't ever try to look inside an unattended USB device, and if you see one lying around, make sure to tell the security team.2. Making excuses
An attacker uses a fake situation, called a "pretext," to get an employee to reveal sensitive information, like login information for IT systems or personal information about other employees. It's often necessary to do research on the target before the attack to make the plan seem real and win the victim's trust. If that happens, the most important thing to do is make sure the person is who they say they are, avoid giving out personal information, and let the IT team know what happened.3. Watering Hole
In a watering-hole attack, the attacker infects an already-existing website or makes a fake website that looks like an already-existing website that a certain group of people, like employees of a company, often visit. The goal is to infect the computer of a specific user and gain access to their network, such as at work. To keep yourself safe, only visit websites with HTTPS in the URL code, keep your software up-to-date, and use tools that look for malware.4. Quid Pro Quo
Quid pro quo attacks rely on the fact that people like to get what they give. Attackers will offer help, services, or other things in exchange for information. For example, someone pretending to be an IT expert might ask for the login information for your device so they can speed it up. To keep information from getting lost, make sure you know who the IT technician is, ask about their methods and tools, and use anti-malware software.5. Scareware
Scareware is a type of malicious software. It usually comes in the form of a pop-up that says your security software is out of date or that it has found malicious software on your computer. It tricks people into going to bad websites or buying antivirus software that doesn't do anything. Use a pop-up blocker and a good antivirus program, and don't click on ads.
6. Tailgating and piggybacking
In both tailgating and piggybacking, an attacker gets into a restricted or secure area. For example, someone could follow an employee into the office by saying they lost their access card, pretending to be a repair person, or holding two coffee cups in both hands and asking for help with the door.7. Vishing
Vishing, also called "voice phishing," is a way to get information from someone over the phone or try to persuade them to do something. TrueCaller says that people in the U.S. lost $29,800,000 to phone scams in 2021 alone. Do not answer emails or messages on social media that ask for your phone number. Don't forget that your coworkers will never call you at home and ask you to transfer money or give them other private information.8. Surfing on your shoulder
Shoulder surfing is when a bad person watches their victim as they type in passwords and other sensitive information without them knowing. But you don't have to be right next to someone and look over their shoulder to use this method. It could be used by a hacker from far away, for example, if they had binoculars or hidden cameras. Use strong single-sign-on passwords, biometrics, and two-factor authentication to make sure you can't be spied on this way.9. Dumpster diving
Dumpster diving is when attackers look through your company's trash for documents with sensitive or confidential information. Use a file shredder at all times to keep information from getting out.10. Deep Fakes
Deepfakes, which are a combination of the words "deep learning" and "fake," are made-up media in which a person in an existing image, audio, or video is changed to look like someone else. Deep fakes can be seen through. Check to see if there are any shadows on the face, see if the eyes are blinking, and try to find wrinkles. Watch out for bad recordings of phone calls and pay close attention to how letters like f, s, v, and z are said because the software has trouble telling them apart from the noise.Other measures to prevent social engineering attacks include:
- Always verify the identity of someone requesting information or access to a secure area.
- Don't trust unsolicited phone calls or emails, especially if they request personal or confidential information.
- Use strong passwords and change them regularly.
- Keep your software and systems up to date with the latest security patches and updates.
- Use two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security to your accounts.
- Be cautious when clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources.
- Use anti-virus and anti-malware software to protect against viruses and other malicious software.
By taking these measures, you can help reduce the risk of falling victim to social engineering attacks.