- Aug 6, 2015
- 306
A good read from the Webroot blog.
Social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information. The types of information these criminals are seeking can vary, but when individuals are targeted, the criminals are usually trying to trick you into giving them your passwords or bank information, or access your computer to secretly install malicious software which will give them access to said passwords and bank information as well as giving them control over your computer.
Cybercriminals use social engineering tactics because it is often easier to exploit your natural inclination to trust than it is to discover ways to hack your software. For example, it is much easier to fool someone into giving away their password than it is to hack their password (unless the password is really weak).
Security is all about knowing who and what to trust – Knowing when and when not to take a person at their word, when to trust that the person you are communicating with is indeed the person you think you are communicating with, when to trust that a website is or isn’t legitimate or when to trust that the person on the phone is or isn’t legitimate, and knowing when providing your information is or isn’t a good idea.
Ask any security professional and they will tell you that the weakest link in the security chain is the human who accepts a person or scenario at face value. Hypothetically speaking, it doesn’t matter how many locks and deadbolts are on your doors and windows, or how many alarm systems, floodlights, fences with barbed wire, and armed security personnel you have; if you trust the person at the gate who says he is the pizza delivery guy and you let him in without first checking to see if he is legitimate, you are completely exposed to whatever risk he represents.
Article continues about common social engineering attacks.
Social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information. The types of information these criminals are seeking can vary, but when individuals are targeted, the criminals are usually trying to trick you into giving them your passwords or bank information, or access your computer to secretly install malicious software which will give them access to said passwords and bank information as well as giving them control over your computer.
Cybercriminals use social engineering tactics because it is often easier to exploit your natural inclination to trust than it is to discover ways to hack your software. For example, it is much easier to fool someone into giving away their password than it is to hack their password (unless the password is really weak).
Security is all about knowing who and what to trust – Knowing when and when not to take a person at their word, when to trust that the person you are communicating with is indeed the person you think you are communicating with, when to trust that a website is or isn’t legitimate or when to trust that the person on the phone is or isn’t legitimate, and knowing when providing your information is or isn’t a good idea.
Ask any security professional and they will tell you that the weakest link in the security chain is the human who accepts a person or scenario at face value. Hypothetically speaking, it doesn’t matter how many locks and deadbolts are on your doors and windows, or how many alarm systems, floodlights, fences with barbed wire, and armed security personnel you have; if you trust the person at the gate who says he is the pizza delivery guy and you let him in without first checking to see if he is legitimate, you are completely exposed to whatever risk he represents.
Article continues about common social engineering attacks.