Social Engineering

Fundamentally, social engineering does not constitute a cyber-attack. Rather, social engineering revolves around the psychology of persuasion, akin to the tactics employed by a confidence trickster. The aim is to gain the trust of targets, so they lower their guard and then encourage them into taking unsafe actions such as divulging personal information clicking on web links or opening attachments that may be malicious.

The impact of Social Engineering can be severe. Financial losses may occur when attackers deceive individuals or organisations into transferring funds or revealing payment details. Data breaches, often resulting from phishing attacks, expose personal and confidential information, leading to legal and reputational consequences. Operational disruptions are common, as malware introduced through pretexting or baiting schemes can lead to system downtime.

Identity theft is a prevalent outcome, causing victims financial and emotional distress. Moreover, businesses risk losing intellectual property and trade secrets, affecting their competitiveness. Successful Social Engineering attacks compromise security and create vulnerabilities for future breaches.