The digital era is evolving at a great pace as technology progresses. New inventions, the use of AI, and all other advancements are making an interconnected world. However, there are many downsides of modern technology, one of which is cyberattacks, mainly social engineering attacks. It is one of the psychological tools that hackers implement to identify human behavior and understand their digital usage patterns.
Social engineering attacks are becoming more and more common as new AI tools emerge, helping the attackers in faster data extraction and processing. According to Statista, Phishing is the most common social engineering attack that manipulates user data. After phishing 68% of people fall for impersonation attacks.
This article will discuss social engineering attacks in detail and will highlight all the useful practices to avoid hacker attempts in the online world. But before diving deep let us understand what social engineering attacks are.
What are Social Engineering Attacks?
The term social engineering refers to the understanding the human usage patterns and defining tactics to lure them into traps through psychological tricks. Social engineering attacks happen all over the internet. It is the art of manipulating or deceiving users to gain control over their accounts using the computer system. In simple words, hackers try to steal personal information such as passwords to carry out illegal actions. The way they breach data is through social engineering. Many types of social engineering attacks grant hackers access directly to the user’s profiles. CEO fraud is one prime example of a social engineering attack. But before understanding the types of social engineering attacks, let’s first discuss social engineers, the people who are behind these illicit attempts.
- Social Engineers
Are hackers social engineers? If yes, why don’t they steal data from officials or banking networks rather than attacking my social media handle? Well, the answer is data mining or data gathering over the internet. Personal data is valuable to everyone, from a common worker to a government official. Hackers use social engineering tactics as a safe passage to user accounts. It is much easier than brute force attacks or decrypting online networks as people themselves fall into these traps and give away their all personal information which costs them almost everything.
Types of social engineering attacks
There are many types of social engineering attacks that hackers use to gain access to user accounts. Sometimes, they combine different methods to devise a new one, and these tactics are increasing with each passing day. All these methods leverage the misuse of human data patterns to gain their psychological trust and lure them into traps. So before connecting to a free wifi zone in any new coffee shop make sure to double-check the links and applications. Here are the top 6 types of social engineering attacks that everyone needs to be aware of.
1. Phishing
According to the 2024 data breach and investigation report, 82% of data breach attacks are successful due to human trust in applications and web portals. This fact leads us to the first type of social engineering attack which is phishing. The most pervasive way of gaining user data is in just a few clicks and keystrokes. There are many victims of phishing and according to the surveys, 1 out of 5 employees still click on suspicious links unknowingly. So what is phishing? Do you remember the days of winning iPhones over the internet? Yeah, exactly those types of webpages that took our information for delivering the newly won iPhone device is a type of phishing. Now, phishing has evolved and has taken modified forms. Still, people fall for phishing.
- Bulk phishing emails
Have you ever noticed the emails in your spam folder? Those are emails that are generated for phishing attacks, Yes, you are also trying to trick attackers using social engineering tactics. Bulk phishing emails are key in the modern world.
- Search engine phishing
This is another type of phishing in which hackers optimize their websites in such a way that they appear on the top search results of popular search engines. This makes people trust the websites and fall victim to their illicit means. This technique is also called SEO poisoning or SEO trojans.
- Spear Phishing
Just like email phishing, spear phishing is more targeted and involves in-depth research to target only the potential organizations or C-suite executives. These emails are expertly crafted and employ authentic channels, leading officials to succumb to their deception.
2. Baiting
Baiting is another type of social engineering attack that is perpetrated online or in a physical environment. Cybercriminals offer various types of rewards to people for filling in sensitive information by giving them their own data as a trust factor and impersonating them as real organizations. Baiting can be in the form of a malicious attachment that showcases exciting rewards for filling out the information. Physical media can also be used in this regard to disperse malware. For instance, attackers can leave infected in a storage device as bait for new users and they fall for it as a real form for an exciting reward.
3. Tailgating
Piggybacking or tailgating is also a prime method of social engineering attacks. In this strategy, the attackers use a physical breach to manipulate user accounts. For instance, the hacker can impersonate themselves as a delivery rider or a worker for an organization. Once the communication gets going, people can give away important information. This method is key in getting into organizations and analyzing their ins and outs to get a complete overview of their work.
4. Watering hole attack
A watering hole attack is another type of social engineering attack in which hackers infect websites or applications with various trojans. The reason it is called a watering hole attack is attackers wait for users to visit this malicious link just like predatory animals wait for their prey for a chance to ambush victims. In this attack, after clicking a link to a malicious website, the device gets infected with suspicious code and scripts that aim to steal the data using various keyloggers and other tools. The attackers can also break into nearby corporate networks already connected to that system. This gives them unauthorized access to sensitive data for stealing intellectual property and financial belongings.
5. Scareware
As the name suggests, scareware is a type of social engineering attack in which attackers use psycholgical trick to scare the user that a virus infects their system. You may also have noticed this type of scam across websites, this website run a fake scan of your system and display a pop-up box mentioning that a virus infects your system and needs to be cleaned as soon as possible. These pop-up messages appear to be real scan reports and scare the users to take immediate action. In response people unaware of social engineering attacks fall into this trap and download fake antivirus systems. A primary example of this kind of attack was through a program called “SpySheriff” which claims to remove malware and asks for payment. After paying for the subscription, users would get a message that the malware has been removed, which was never present on the system,
6. Malware
One of the most common tricks used by cybercriminals is a malware attack. Malware is short for malicious software which is used to steal data or sometimes even destroying a computer. Hackers can infect the system with malware and the code that executes can erase all the data on the hard drives, hijack the system file folders, or sometimes even encrypt the data. People also refer to this type of attack as ransomware, in which hackers ask for a hefty amount to decrypt the data. In most cases, they take the money as well as the data, leaving the user with complete dismay.
Why do Cyber Attackers Commonly Use Social Engineering Attacks?
There are many reasons for social engineering attacks. Here are some of the most understood reasons for social engineering attacks.
Manipulation
Manipulation of data is one core reason for using social engineering attacks. Attackers misuse this data in a number of ways by selling it to bad actors making thousands of dollars. The images/videos or any other form of data gets into the market with false information, impacting the personality of the user negatively. The manipulated data can also be used in blackmailing by other bad actors over the internet.
Financial Gain
Financial gain is the top priority of every attacker as they try to make easy money using social engineering attacks. Once gaining access to the data, they encrypt it and send emails to the real owner asking for hefty amounts. This is quite common for people who use cracked/pirated software and games as the infectious links get into their systems easily through that software.
Personal Gains
Some people also use social engineering to get access to user profiles for their gains. For instance, just to damage someone emotionally to harm their reputation. Personal attacks mostly target social media profiles such as Facebook that include all your pictures and interaction with people online. Phishing attempts come at top in this regard to degrade the user profile in front of everyone.
Reputational Damage
Sometimes people become jealous of ones success so they try to damage the reputation using social engineering attacks. This mostly happens in the enterprise sector where low-end competitors use social engineering attacks to get the data of their market leaders and leak it online, damaging the reputation of the company worldwide for competitive advantage.
What is the most effective way to detect and stop social engineering attacks?
To prevent social engineering attacks it is important to take necessary measures. The basic training of not opening every spam link you receive in your emails is necessary. Every message that you receive from an unknown source needs to be scrutinized before declaring it safe. As it can be a social engineering attempt to hijack your data. Also, getting offers from suspicious websites you visit or scareware popups should be neglected to ensure complete security. Here are some key points that highlight the social engineering attack prevention measures.
Access Control Policies
Access control policies are crucial in this age of modernization as they enable users to get complete control over their account. Using solutions like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is one of the most valuable pieces of technology that restricts attackers from getting your credentials. Access control policies like MFA help organizations and enterprises by adding a new layer of security to their security system.
Security Training
Security training is essential for staff and for employees in the new era of modernization. New social engineering tactics are not easy to detect and require proper staff training to ensure complete security. Training lets the staff operate with technology correctly and increases the awareness of new social engineering attacks such as scareware and tailgating.
New Technologies Adoption
Adopting new technologies is also crucial as they are equipped with stronger security protocols. For instance, using the latest emailing system allows enterprises to filter spam or suspicious links automatically using AI. This helps the user to easily identify the phishing attacks. Sticking with older piece of technology is risky as they are prone to security loopholes and provide attackers a safe passage to hijack the systems.
Final Thoughts
To summarize, social engineering attacks are becoming a global threat with new tactics coming into play almost every month. Hackers are now utilizing AI to generate more spam links and content for scareware that traps users in their ideas. Ultimately, social engineering is a cyber attack strategy that is becoming a growing concern of cybersecurity worldwide. To avoid social engineering attacks enterprises as well as individuals must adopt new technologies and get proper training in social engineering avoidance. Leaving loopholes for attackers can cause security breakage that can lead to loss of finances as well as reputation in the online world.
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FAQ’s
What are social engineering attacks?
Social engineering attacks are malicious activities where attackers manipulate individuals into publish confidential information or performing actions that compromise security. These attacks exploit human psychology rather than technical hacking methods.
What are common types of social engineering attacks?
The most common types include:
- Phishing: Fraudulent emails or messages designed to steal sensitive information.
- Pretexting: Creating a fabricated scenario to gain access to private data.
- Baiting: Luring victims with promises of goods or rewards.
- Tailgating: Gaining physical access by following authorized personnel into restricted areas.
- Quid Pro Quo: Offering something in exchange for sensitive information.
Why are social engineering attacks effective?
These attacks succeed because they exploit human emotions like trust, fear, greed, or urgency. Many people are unaware of how these tactics work, making them vulnerable.
What tools do attackers use in social engineering attacks?
Common tools include:
- Fake websites or forms.
- Malware disguised as legitimate files or applications.
- Caller ID spoofing software.
- Social media platforms for gathering personal information.
Are social engineering attacks illegal?
Yes, social engineering attacks are illegal as they involve deception and manipulation to commit fraud or theft. Perpetrators can face legal consequences, including fines and imprisonment.