At some point in life, most individuals have felt manipulated in a social situation. But imagine receiving an urgent email from your bank, claiming that your account has been compromised and you need to take immediate action to secure it. Or picture a scenario where a stranger approaches you in a public place, claiming to have found your lost USB drive and offering to return it.
These situations might initially appear harmless, but they may signal the starting point for a sophisticated social engineering attack.
Understanding the Deception
Social engineering is a type of cyberattack intended to manipulate unsuspecting individuals to breach their security or the security of an organization. The end goal of cybercriminals is to trick victims into divulging sensitive information or to enact an action that compromises security.
To bypass security measures, social engineering tactics exploit human psychology, for instance by leveraging the natural tendency to trust. Attackers attempt to deceive people to extract confidential information, such as login credentials or personally identifiable information (PII). For example, a caller falsely posing as the owner of an account may try to obtain a password from a helpful company agent.
Unmasking Common Social Engineering Tactics
Social engineering attempts come in many forms. Some of the most common types of social engineering include:
- Phishing: Sending fraudulent messages disguised as a legitimate call to action. A classic example is an email claiming to be from a well-known institution, such as a bank, shipper, or government agency. The scammer hopes recipients will reply with sensitive information or click on a malicious link masquerading as a legitimate login page where account holders may enter protected login information.
- Pretexting: Creating a false scenario, story, or convincing narrative, to make the victim believe the attacker is a legitimate person or entity with a legitimate reason for requesting information or access. For instance, a caller may pose as a tech support agent troubleshooting a connectivity issue.
- Spoofing: Disguising oneself as a trusted entity or device to gain unauthorized access to a system, network, or data. The goal is to trick the victim into believing that the attacker is someone or something trusted, such as a spoofed URL or phone number, to carry out malicious activities.
- Baiting: Offering an enticing online freebie, such as a seemingly useful software program. Hackers hope unsuspecting individuals will download malware-injected programs located through a legitimate online search.
- Social manipulation: Calling to create a sense of urgency or emergency, hoping the victim provides valuable sensitive information. For instance, a voicemail may claim taxes are overdue, and legal action may be threatened due to failure to provide payment. The fraudulent caller hopes the victim will feel sufficiently pressured or intimidated to give away credit card details or e-transfer funds.
- Quid pro quo: Offering a tempting gift, favor, or free service, such as a steep discount, in exchange for sensitive information.
- Spear phishing: Targeting specific individuals or groups with tailored phishing emails or messages containing personalized information intended to make the attack more convincing.
- Tailgating: Following someone into a restricted area without proper credentials. This method relies on an authorized person’s complacency; for example, bad actors may obtain entry through a door secured with a card reader by following an authorized individual in.
- Whaling: Profiling high-level executives, notable officials, and other influential individuals to send sophisticated emails or messages, typically featuring the target’s name, title, and organization-specific information, creating a sense of familiarity and making the sender appear legitimate.
Spotting the Red Flags: Detecting Social Engineering Tactics
Social engineering cyberattacks can be subtle and difficult to detect because they typically appear to come from trusted sources and often use legitimate-sounding language, graphics, and formatting. However, there are some key indicators to watch for, such as:
- Urgent or threatening language: Be wary of messages that create a sense of urgency or threaten to act if you don’t comply.
- Requests for sensitive information: Be cautious of requests asking for protected information, such as login credentials or financial information.
- Suspicious senders: Be skeptical of messages from unfamiliar senders.
- Spelling or grammar mistakes: Legitimate organizations typically have professional communication, so be wary of messages with spelling or grammar mistakes.
- Suspicious links or attachments: Avoid clicking on links or opening attachments from unknown sources, which may contain malware.
Avoiding Social Engineering Attacks
To safeguard yourself from social engineering attacks, follow these best practices:
- Be aware of common social engineering tactics.
- Mark malicious emails as spam.
- Utilize the ‘delete and report’ feature on cell phones when receiving suspicious text messages.
- Remain skeptical of unexpected offers that seem too good to be true.
- Keep login details confidential.
- Use two-factor authentication whenever possible to add an extra layer of security to your accounts.
- Keep software and operating systems up-to-date by installing the latest security patches to protect against hackers.
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive activities and use security software and a VPN (virtual private network) to protect data from theft on shared networks.
- Resist online freebies, which can be a trap set to steal sensitive information.
- Stay clear of threatening people and situations that pressure others to act impulsively or out of fear.
- Pay attention to phone numbers, email and web addresses, and other details to verify authenticity before clicking on links, downloading attachments, or responding to requests.
Reporting Social Engineering Attacks
An individual can take practical steps to lessen the impact if they are the victim of a social engineering scheme, and numerous reporting tools are available.
Victims of social engineering attacks can:
- Report cybersecurity incidents to the organization’s IT department or security team: Employees falling prey to social engineering attacks should report security incidents internally; those responsible can then investigate the incident and take action to prevent future attacks.
- Contact financial institutions: Victims of financial fraud can contact their bank to report the incident and secure their account.
- Change passwords and credit card details: Account holders should update passwords and credit card details to prevent further unauthorized access.
- Run a malware scan: Running a malware scan on infected devices can remove malicious software.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Citizens can file complaints with the FTC, reporting phishing scams and other online fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or a similar local agency.
- Report the incident to relevant organizations: Consider reporting the incident to an organization such as the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), which tracks phishing attacks and provides resources for victims, or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which investigates internet-facilitated crimes.
- Contact local law enforcement: Victims of social engineering crimes, such as identity theft or financial fraud, should call their local law enforcement agency to report the incident.
By being proactive, the online community can work together to keep its members safe.
Staying Cyber Safe
Social engineering attacks are a growing threat to individuals and organizations. It’s critical to understand the various forms that social engineering can take, know how to detect them, and most importantly, how to avoid falling victim to these attacks.
Remember, it’s essential to exercise an appropriate amount of caution and skepticism when interacting with emails, phone calls, text messages, and other requests for sensitive information.
By being aware of social engineering tactics and taking proactive steps to protect networks, devices, and personally identifiable information (PII), individuals and organizations can significantly reduce the risk of falling prey to these attacks and stay cyber safe!
Interested to learn more? Register for our upcoming SOCIAL ENGINEERING webinar and gain the knowledge and strategies required to protect yourself and your organization from insidious social engineering threats!
