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What is social engineering in cyber security?
Social engineering describes a method in which attackers exploit human behaviour to obtain confidential information or gain unauthorized access to systems. In contrast to technical attacks, social engineering is aimed at manipulating people. Typical techniques include deception, gaining trust and exploiting fear or time pressure.
Examples:
- A phishing email pretending to come from the IT department asks a user to reset their password.
- An attacker calls and pretends to be a bank employee to ask for personal data.
What types of social engineering attacks are there?
The most common forms of social engineering are
- Phishing: E-mails or messages that entice users to disclose confidential data.
- Spear phishing: Targeted phishing attacks on specific individuals or organizations.
- Pretexting: An invented identity or story is used to obtain information.
- Baiting: Baiting offers, such as USB sticks with malware, are used to lure victims.
- Tailgating: An attacker gains access to a building by following an authorized person.
How does social engineering work in cyber attacks?
Social engineering attacks usually follow a clear strategy:
- Information gathering: Attackers collect details about their target, often via social networks or public data.
- Building trust: A credible situation is created, e.g. by imitating a colleague or partner.
- Execution of the attack: The attacker requests sensitive information or access data or convinces the victim to open a malicious file.
- Exploitation of the data obtained: The information obtained is used for further attacks or for sale.
What role does human behavior play in social engineering?
Human factors are the decisive weak point in social engineering attacks. Behaviors such as helpfulness, trust, fear of consequences or time pressure can be exploited in a targeted manner. Example: An employee could respond to an urgent email claiming that the company has suffered a security breach, and imprudently pass on access data.
How can you protect yourself against social engineering attacks?
Protective measures include technical and organizational approaches:
- Awareness training: Employees should be trained regularly to recognize social engineering techniques.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA): An additional security factor protects against unauthorized access.
- Strict security guidelines: Clear guidelines for handling sensitive data and unknown requests.
- Checking sender addresses: E-mails and messages should be carefully checked for authenticity.
What is the difference between social engineering and hacking?
Social engineering uses psychological manipulation, while hacking exploits technical vulnerabilities in software or networks. Both methods are often combined: A social engineering attack can be used to obtain access data, which is then used for more in-depth attacks through hacking. Example: An attacker obtains a password via phishing and uses it to gain access via a security gap in the system.
Which social engineering attacks are most common in companies?
- CEO fraud (business email compromise): Attackers pretend to be executives and ask employees to transfer money.
- Phishing: Employees are deceived into disclosing confidential data.
- Tailgating: Unauthorized persons gain physical access to buildings.
- Tech support scams: Attackers pretend to be from the IT department or a third-party provider.
How do you recognize social engineering attempts?
- Unusual requests: Unexpected requests for access data or bank transfers.
- Email content with pressure: “Urgent!” or “Your account will be blocked!” are typical formulations.
- Spelling mistakes and inappropriate e-mail addresses: Small details often give away the forgery.
- Unknown callers: Be careful with calls asking for sensitive data.
Why are social engineering attacks so effective?
Social engineering exploits the natural willingness to trust and stressful situations. Many people do not question requests from supposed authority figures or colleagues sufficiently. In addition, social engineering techniques are often difficult to detect as they are aimed at human interaction.
What tools and techniques do attackers use for social engineering?
- Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Tools such as Maltego help attackers to collect information on target persons.
- Email spoofing tools: Make it possible to send messages that look like official emails.
- Social media scanning: Platforms such as LinkedIn or Facebook are used to collect information about employees or organizations.
- Phishing kits: Automated tools for creating deceptively real phishing pages.
Social engineering remains one of the biggest threats in cyber security, as human vulnerabilities are difficult to eliminate. The combination of technical defense and continuous training is the best protection for companies.
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