Do not give sensitive information to anyone unless you are sure that they are indeed who they claim to be and that they should have access to the information. Show
What is a social engineering attack?In a social engineering attack, an attacker uses human interaction (social skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems. An attacker may seem unassuming and respectable, possibly claiming to be a new employee, repair person, or researcher and even offering credentials to support that identity. However, by asking questions, he or she may be able to piece together enough information to infiltrate an organization's network. If an attacker is not able to gather enough information from one source, he or she may contact another source within the same organization and rely on the information from the first source to add to his or her credibility. What is a phishing attack?Phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites to solicit personal information by posing as a trustworthy organization. For example, an attacker may send email seemingly from a reputable credit card company or financial institution that requests account information, often suggesting that there is a problem. When users respond with the requested information, attackers can use it to gain access to the accounts. Phishing attacks may also appear to come from other types of organizations, such as charities. Attackers often take advantage of current events and certain times of the year, such as
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What do you do if you think you are a victim?
Produced by US-CERT http://www.us-cert.gov.
Security Tip (ST04-014)Original release date: October 22, 2009 | Last revised: August 25, 2020 Do not give sensitive information to others unless you are sure that they
are indeed who they claim to be and that they should have access to the information. In a social engineering attack, an attacker uses human interaction (social skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems. An attacker may seem unassuming and respectable, possibly claiming to be a new employee, repair person, or researcher and even offering credentials to support that identity. However, by asking
questions, he or she may be able to piece together enough information to infiltrate an organization's network. If an attacker is not able to gather enough information from one source, he or she may contact another source within the same organization and rely on the information from the first source to add to his or her credibility. Phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites to solicit personal information by
posing as a trustworthy organization. For example, an attacker may send email seemingly from a reputable credit card company or financial institution that requests account information, often suggesting that there is a problem. When users respond with the requested information, attackers can use it to gain access to the accounts. Phishing attacks may also appear to come from other types of organizations, such as charities. Attackers often take advantage of current events and certain times
of the year, such as Vishing is the social engineering approach that leverages voice communication. This technique can be combined with other forms of social engineering that entice a victim to call a certain number and
divulge sensitive information. Advanced vishing attacks can take place completely over voice communications by exploiting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions and broadcasting services. VoIP easily allows caller identity (ID) to be spoofed, which can take advantage of the public’s misplaced trust in the security of phone services, especially landline services. Landline communication cannot be intercepted without physical access to the line; however, this trait is not beneficial when
communicating directly with a malicious actor. What is a smishing attack?Smishing is a form of social engineering that exploits SMS, or text, messages. Text messages can contain links to such things as webpages, email addresses or phone numbers that when clicked may automatically open a browser window or email message or dial a number. This integration of email, voice, text message, and web browser functionality increases the likelihood that users will fall victim to engineered malicious activity. What are common indicators of phishing attempts?
How do you avoid being a victim?
What do you do if you think you are a victim?
Please share your thoughts. We recently updated our anonymous product survey; we'd welcome your feedback. What are the 4 types of social engineering?Social engineering attack techniques. Baiting. As its name implies, baiting attacks use a false promise to pique a victim's greed or curiosity. ... . Scareware. Scareware involves victims being bombarded with false alarms and fictitious threats. ... . Pretexting. ... . Phishing. ... . Spear phishing.. What are the 4 attack cycle of social engineering?In its simplest form however, the Social engineering lifecycle follows four basic phases: Investigation, Hook, Play, and Exit. The Investigation phase is when an attacker performs their recon.
What are examples of social engineering attacks?9 Most Common Examples of Social Engineering Attacks. Phishing. ... . Spear Phishing. ... . Baiting. ... . Malware. ... . Pretexting. ... . Quid Pro Quo. ... . Tailgating: ... . Vishing.. What type of social engineering attack is phishing?Phishing. The most common form of social engineering attack is phishing. Phishing attacks exploit human error to harvest credentials or spread malware, usually via infected email attachments or links to malicious websites.
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