What is social engineering?
Short answer
Social engineering is manipulating people into giving up information, access or money, rather than hacking technology directly. Phishing, pretexting phone calls, fake IT support and impersonation of executives are all forms of it. It works by exploiting trust, urgency, fear and helpfulness.
The details
The defense is verification habits backed by process: confirm unusual requests through a separate, known channel, and make it normal to say "let me call you back".
Terms explained
- Social engineering
- Social engineering is the manipulation of people, rather than technology, to gain access, information or money.
- Phishing
- Phishing is a fraudulent message, usually email, that impersonates a trusted sender to trick people into revealing credentials, paying money or running malware.
Sources
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