Social engineering attacks are a prevalent and cunning method employed by
cybercriminals to exploit the very essence of human psychology and behavior. These
attacks are becoming increasingly common and exploit human vulnerabilities. These
attacks do not follow any specific methodology and are thus difficult to identify. This
makes them highly efficient, easy to execute, and capable of compromising any
organization. Scams based on social engineering are built around how people behave
and react to situations of fear, excitement, curiosity, etc. Once an attacker understands
the person's psychology, they can plan and influence the user effectively to believe in
fake news, messages, etc. In addition, the attackers also exploit persons' lack of
knowledge and awareness about cyber security and attacks. The attacker’s goal is
generally financial gain or to gain access to restricted areas or confidential documents.
As a preventive measure, it is important to be aware of cyberattacks and how they
work. To combat social engineering attacks, it is crucial to educate individuals and
employees about the risks, enhance their awareness, and encourage healthy skepticism
when dealing with unsolicited requests for information or actions. Technical security
measures, like multi-factor authentication, the use of updated software and antivirus
software, email filtering, etc., may help protect individuals or organizations from social
engineering attacks, making it harder for cybercriminals to succeed in their
manipulative endeavors.
Keywords: Cyber security, Cyberattacks, Deepfake, Social engineering, Phishing baiting, Tailgating, Waterhole.
