أهلاً بك! اكتب سؤالك أو اختر اقتراحاً من الأسفل.
Social engineering is a significant aspect of cybersecurity, often referred to as the human factor in attacks. It involves leveraging human psychology to bypass technical safeguards using techniques like phishing, pretexting, and tailgating to compromise systems. By targeting people rather than computers, social engineering manipulates individuals to reveal confidential information through psychological manipulation, exploiting trust, curiosity, fear, and urgency.
Phishing is a common example of social engineering where urgent messages trick victims into disclosing sensitive information. Attackers exploit cognitive biases and emotional responses, such as trust, fear, and urgency, to increase compliance with malicious requests. Over 90% of successful cyberattacks start with social engineering, with phishing being the primary method for compromise.
Pretexting, tailgating, baiting, and quid pro quo attacks are also prevalent techniques in social engineering. It is crucial for individuals and organizations to recognize and defend against these attacks by maintaining awareness, verifying requests, and implementing security controls.
Human nature plays a significant role in the success of social engineering, with attackers exploiting basic human traits like the desire to help or curiosity. Education, policy, and technology are necessary layers of defense against social engineering attacks, with ongoing security awareness training and vigilant habits being crucial defenses.
Ultimately, the human factor remains critical in both attacks and defense, emphasizing the need for ongoing awareness, skepticism, and proactive measures to combat evolving social engineering tactics.