How Does Social Engineering Work?
Social engineering in cybersecurity is an unethical practice that relies mainly on human interaction and psychological manipulation. Threat actors start communicating with the target while pretending to be reliable and genuine to build rapport.
Many social engineering attacks use social phishing or pretexting attacks to manipulate psychological triggers like fear, urgency, and curiosity. All they want is to trick or influence the targets so that they reveal sensitive information or provide access to their systems or organisations. Once they gain unauthorised access to systems or networks, they use it for malicious purposes, primarily financial gain.
Common Types of Social Engineering Attacks
Refer to the below table to learn more about the different types of social engineering attacks:
| Social Engineering Attack Types |
Description |
| Phishing |
It comes in the form of suspicious emails, messages, or websites that are designed to trick users into disclosing confidential data. |
| Scareware |
It uses false warnings or threats to scare targets into buying fake security software or performing unwanted actions. |
| Water Holing |
These attacks happen to compromise a website that a specific group of people frequently visits and infects them. Just like predators lurk by the water bodies for their prey, cyber attackers loiter in niche websites or portals to introduce malware. |
| Honeytrap |
These use romantic or sexual bait to manipulate victims into revealing sensitive information. Honeytraps exploit the basic human longing for trust and social connection. |
| Rogue Antivirus |
It is a malware attack that screams to have found an infection - that is unlikely to even exist - on the target's system. These aim to gain access to the victim's device to retrieve confidential information. Some even try to extract payment in the name of fake malware removal. |
| Spear Phishing |
During these attacks, the hackers target specific organisations or individuals to steal sensitive data or install malware on the network or devices of targeted victims. These are highly effective and often hard to prevent. |
| Vishing (Voice) |
Vishing social engineering meaning, "voice + phishing", refers to fake and fraudulent voice messages or phone calls, where attackers act like legitimate entities to steal confidential data. |
| Smishing (SMS) |
The phishing attacks that are carried out through text messages (SMS) are called smishing - SMS + Phishing. |
| Pretexting |
In this social engineering tactic, the attackers create a pretext (fabricated scenario) to exploit victims and divulge information. |
| Baiting |
These attacks lure victims with false promises and enticing rewards, such as gifts and free software, to steal their personal information or infect their systems with malware. |
| Tailgating/ Piggybacking |
It is a type of physical security breach that involves obtaining unauthorised access to restricted areas by following authorised individuals. |
| Quid Pro Quo |
It is a simple "something for something" business where the attackers offer services or benefits in exchange for confidential and sensitive data. |
Human Behaviour Misused for Committing Social Engineering Attacks
Let's take you through this table that shows how social engineering attacks misuse human behaviours:
| Human Behavior |
Misuse in Social Engineering Attacks |
| Trust and Authority |
People usually trust authority figures like government officials, top management of a company, etc. Cyber attackers exploit this trust and engineer the human mind to share sensitive data or perform certain actions. |
| Fear and Urgency |
Act Now! Your Account Will Be Locked! Or, Last One Hour to Save Your Account from Deactivation! Messages like these instil a sense of urgency or fear in the human mind. Scammers use these emotions to pressurise victims to take quick actions without thinking about the ifs and buts. |
| Curiosity |
Out-of-the-box offers, surprise gifts and suspicious links naturally create curiosity about what's behind the scenes. Hackers use this inquisitiveness to lure users to click potentially dangerous malicious links or software/attachment downloads. Once the victims are in, the scammers do their job. |
| Compassion and Helpfulness |
Many people have a natural inclination to help others. Hackers skillfully exploit this by staging fake requests for help and preying on compassion and helpfulness. A simple act of kindness may result in a huge security breach. |
| Familiarity (Pretexting) |
Attackers impersonate someone familiar, like a coworker or distant relative, to lower the target's suspicion and ask for help. They mainly intend to steal personal data or gain access to networks or systems. |
| Reciprocity |
Social engineer masterminds exploit the human tendency to return a favour by offering gifts or some other kind of help to bag in personal details. They make the prey feel indebted to reciprocate a favour by giving something back. |
| Commitment |
Cyber attackers often start by asking victims to comply with small requests. Once the victims commit to these minor ones, they are more likely to go along with bigger demands. By gaining trust with simple requests, attackers increase the odds of getting what they really want. |
| Social Proof |
Most people are likely to rely on a service or product if the people they trust follow or endorse it. Cyber threat actors use social proof in the form of fake feedback, reviews, and testimonials to persuade their targets to follow suit and fall prey. |
Why Do Cyber Attackers Commonly Use Social Engineering Attacks?
Social engineering preys on natural human tendencies, which are easy to exploit by cyber criminals. Some of the reasons and their explanations are in the table below. Read on:
| Reason |
Explanation |
| The ease of execution for attackers |
These attacks are easy to execute because they do not require top-of-the-world technical skills. Hackers can use basic tools like emails, phone calls, or phoney websites to dupe victims and make their way through their typical psychological vulnerabilities. |
| The high success rate due to human error |
Humans are usually the most fragile link in an organisation's security nexus. Attackers plan attacks by playing with psychological gaps such as trust, urgency, and curiosity. Preying on human errors also leads to a high success rate in obtaining unauthorised access or sensitive information. |
| Potential financial, reputational, and legal damages |
A successful cyber attack means significant financial losses, damage to reputation, and potential legal consequences to the victims. |
How Did Social Engineering Evolve?
Now that you know the definition of social engineering, let's talk about how it evolved over time. Here's an overview of its history and evolution:
| Era |
Category |
Key Developments in Social Engineering |
| Early 20th Century |
Basic Deception Tactics |
Social engineering started with basic scams back in the early 20s. For example, con artists used face-to-face tricks to gain people's trust. This kind of scam is also known as "the confidence trick." |
| 1940s-1950s |
Psychological Manipulation |
As psychology advanced and social engineers started understanding human behaviour well, they began using emotional triggers, such as fear, urgency, and trust to influence targets into exposing sensitive information. |
| 1960s-1970s |
Phone Phishing and Impersonation |
With the development of the telecommunications domain, attackers began using the telephone for impersonation. It led to the rise of the vishing concept. |
| 1980s-1990s |
The Age of Computers and the Internet |
With the internet's growth, social engineering tactics evolved and started including phishing emails and fake websites. Caller ID spoofing also started somewhere around that period. |
| 2000s to Date |
Refined Online Scams |
With the advent of social phishing, spear-phishing, and AI-driven methods, social engineering tactics got more refined. |
| Recent Trends |
AI and Automation |
AI and machine learning has enabled cybercriminals to conduct personalised and automated attacks. Moreover, now, they use social media for precise targeting in campaigns like spear-phishing and honey traps. |
How to Prevent Social Engineering Attacks?
Let's take a quick look at some of the best preventive measures:
| Preventive Measures |
Explanation |
| Employee Training and Awareness |
Conducting regular training and awareness exercises about common social engineering tactics, such as suspicious calls and emails, is always a good idea. When your employees know the latest threats and safe practices, such as the social engineering toolkit or SET, it will help you establish a security-conscious culture in your office. |
| Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) |
It provides an additional sheath of security before saying - Access Granted. By including various forms of verification steps, including passcodes, patterns, and biometrics, you can prevent unauthorised access to a great extent. So, even if a hacker gets through one of the factors, say - the password, there would be more layers to crack to get in. |
| Verifying Requests |
Make sure to verify requests asking for sensitive details or related to financial transactions. Ask your employees to use a second communication channel, for example, calling the requester directly, to confirm if or not the request is genuine. |
| Implementing Strong Security Policies |
Have comprehensive and robust security policies in place. Do not share passwords, avoid downloading unverified files, and set access controls for confidential information. Also, make sure to change the passwords regularly and restrict access to critical data depending on roles. Include the social engineering toolkit or SET in your testing and penetration-checking drills. |
| Using Email & Web Security Solutions |
Use advanced email filtering and web security solutions to detect and block phishing attempts and malicious websites. These reduce the chances of falling victim to social engineering attacks. |
Role of Cyber Insurance in Managing Risks
Cyber insurance comes in super handy when it comes to protecting your business from the financial blow of social engineering scams. A comprehensive policy is likely to pay for the losses arising from fraud, phishing, and other dishonest tactics.
A dedicated cyber insurance plan also reimburses for legal expenses you may incur after an event of a data breach. Besides, cyber insurance helps your business recover quickly and reduces the financial burden due to social engineering attacks and other cyber risks.
Case Studies of Social Engineering Attacks
Let's take you through two of the case studies of social engineering attacks:
Case Study#1
In this case, the cyber attackers, disguising themselves as trusted entities, did spear phishing and sent targeted emails to the employee of a media and entertainment company. This led to data compromise, huge financial casualty, and reputational harm.
Case Study#2
In this incident, attackers used a third-party vendor's credentials to enter the network of their target. They wiped off millions of customer credit card details in a whoosh. This infringement showed that even small access points can lead to major data loss and reputational damage.
Conclusion
Overall, social engineering attacks mostly rely on psychological manipulation rather than technical vulnerabilities. Therefore, creating awareness around it can help deal with it by proactively protecting sensitive data while preventing financial and reputational damage.
Adopting preventive measures like employee training, MFA, and strong security policies including cyber insurance, can significantly reduce risk. By staying smart and vigilant, businesses and individuals can fight these ever-evolving threats to security like a pro
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