What is the most effective way to detect and stop social engineering attacks?
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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. 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
What is a vishing attack?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 examples of social engineering attacks? Unfortunately, there are many. Here are several social engineering cyber threats that companies face every day: Attacker leaves a malware-infected physical device, such as a USB flash drive, in a place it is sure to be found. The target then picks up the device and inserts it into their computer, unintentionally installing the malware. When a malicious party sends a fraudulent email disguised as a legitimate email, often purporting to be from a trusted source. The message is meant to trick the recipient into sharing financial or personal information or clicking on a link that installs malware. One of the more targeted types of social engineering threats. Similar to phishing, but tailored for a specific individual or organization. (Learn more about it here.) A specific type of spear-phishing attack, targets high-profile employees, such as the chief financial officer or chief executive officer, to trick the targeted employee into disclosing sensitive information. This is one of the types of social engineering threats that evolved from regular phishing. Also known as voice phishing, vishing involves the use of social engineering over the phone to gather financial or personal information from the target.
A spear-phishing attack where a malicious actor impersonates an Executive and attempts, through social engineering tactics, to get the target to send funds, credentials, or sensitive information. The impersonation may occur through a display name change, a typosquatted email or username, or through an actual compromise of the executive’s communication channel account. A form of social engineering that exploits SMS, or text, messages. Text messages can contain links to such things as web pages, email addresses or phone numbers that when clicked may automatically open a browser window or email message or dial a number. One party lies to another to gain access to privileged data. For example, a pretexting scam could involve an attacker who pretends to need financial or personal data to confirm the identity of the recipient. This involves tricking the victim into thinking their computer is infected with malware or has inadvertently downloaded illegal content. The attacker then offers the victim a solution that will fix the bogus problem; in reality, the victim is simply tricked into downloading and installing the attacker's malware. The attacker attempts to compromise a specific group of people by infecting websites they are known to visit and trust with the goal of gaining network access. This is an attack in which the social engineer pretends to provide something in exchange for the target's information or assistance. For instance, a hacker calls a selection of random numbers within an organization and pretends to be a technical support specialist responding to a ticket. Eventually, the hacker will find someone with a legitimate tech issue whom they will then pretend to help. Through this interaction, the hacker can have the target type in the commands to launch malware or can collect password information. In this attack, the social engineer pretends to be an attractive person to interact with a person online, fake an online relationship and gather sensitive information through that relationship. This is a type of socially engineered malware that tricks targets into paying for the fake removal of malware. With this type of online fraud, a cybercriminal installs malicious code on a computer or server that automatically directs the user to a fake website, where the user may be tricked into providing personal information. What is the most effective way of preventing social engineering attacks?Penetration Testing. The most effective approach among the ways to prevent social engineering attacks is conducting a pen-test to detect and try to exploit vulnerabilities in your organization.
What is the best way to prevent a social engineering attack quizlet?The best defense against social engineering attacks is a comprehensive training and awareness program that includes social engineering. The training should emphasize the value of being helpful and working as a team, but doing so in an environment where trust is verified and is a ritual without social stigma.
What is the primary and most effective countermeasure to social engineering attacks?One effective way to defend against social engineering attacks is with realistic training that puts employee awareness to the test.
What is social engineering and how can we prevent it?Social engineering is the term used for a broad range of malicious activities accomplished through human interactions. It uses psychological manipulation to trick users into making security mistakes or giving away sensitive information. Social engineering attacks happen in one or more steps.
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