what is social engineering and how it works?
Published: 2022-11-25 08:58:56

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<div class="wp-block-aioseo-table-of-contents"><ul><li><a href="#aioseo-an-introduction-to-social-engineering">An introduction to social engineering</a></li><li><a href="#aioseo-examples-of-social-engineering-attacks">Examples of social engineering attacks</a></li><li><a href="#aioseo-how-to-protect-against-social-engineering-attacks">How to protect against social engineering attacks</a></li><li><a href="#aioseo-how-to-identify-social-engineering-attacks">How to identify social engineering attacks</a></li><li><a href="#aioseo-how-to-protect-against-social-engineering-attacks">How to protect against social engineering attacks</a></li><li><a href="#aioseo-how-to-report-social-engineering-attacks">How to report social engineering attacks</a></li><li><a href="#aioseo-conclusion">Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
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<h3 id="aioseo-an-introduction-to-social-engineering">An introduction to social engineering</h3>
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<p><strong>Social engineering</strong> is a type of attack that relies on human interaction to trick users into breaking normal security procedures. By manipulating people, attackers can gain access to systems, data, and even physical locations. Social engineering attacks are usually targeted at specific individuals or groups of people.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The attacker will study their target to learn as much as possible about them, including their likes, dislikes, and habits. With this information, the attacker can create a believable scenario that will trick the target into taking the desired action.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>There are many different types of social engineering attacks, but some of the most common include phishing, baiting, quid pro quo, and pretexting.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><strong>Phishing</strong> is a type of social engineering attack that uses email or other forms of communication to try to trick the target into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The attacker will typically pose as a legitimate organization or person, and they may even create a fake website that looks like the real thing. Baiting is another type of social engineering attack that uses physical media, such as USB drives or CDs, to try to infect the target's computer with malware.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The attacker will leave the infected media in a place where they know the target will find it, such as a parking lot or lobby. Once the target inserts the media into their computer, the malware will be executed and can allow the attacker to gain access to the system.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Quid pro quo is a type of social engineering attack where the attacker offers the target something in exchange for something else. For example, the attacker may pose as an IT support person and tell the target that they will fix their computer if the target provides them with their password.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Pretexting is a type of social engineering attack where the attacker creates a false scenario to try to trick the target into revealing sensitive information.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>For example, the attacker may pose as a researcher and ask the target to participate in a survey. The attacker will then use the information they gathered from the survey to answer security questions and gain access to the target's accounts.</p>
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<h3 id="aioseo-examples-of-social-engineering-attacks">Examples of social engineering attacks</h3>
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<p>Social engineering attacks can be used to accomplish a variety of goals, such as stealing information, infecting computers with malware, or even gaining physical access to buildings or other restricted areas.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><strong>Some examples of social engineering attacks include:</strong></p>
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<p>A phishing email appears to be from a legitimate organization, such as a bank or online retailer. The email may contain a link that takes the target to a fake website that looks real but is actually designed to steal the target's login credentials.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>A baiting attack is where an attacker leaves an infected USB drive in a parking lot or lobby. If the target inserts the USB drive into their computer, the malware on the drive will be executed and can allow the attacker to gain access to the system.&nbsp;</p>
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[Read More:](https://cybertecy.in/what-is-social-engineering-and-how-it-works/)