Social engineering is a malicious attack used by hackers to obtain sensitive information by tricking naive or unsuspecting users to revealing sensitive information that compromising sensitive data security. Generally, individuals will tend to refer to social engineering in relation to data breaches which may include identity theft and financial fraud. It is a serious threat considering the huge financial resources that can be compromised. A data breach can lead to legal action against an entity and compromise the company’s reputation among its customers and other stakeholders. In order to prevent the occurrence of data breaches, organizations require thorough social engineering testing.
A social engineering test is an examination of an organization’s security policies and practices that try to reveal weak spots that may be exploited to gain unauthorized access. The technique involves the employment of false security policies and practices in an effort to achieve penetration. Social engineering techniques are most commonly employed by attackers with access to IT staff members.
A penetration test can be executed through a series of techniques that attempt to exploit the vulnerability, find out if it can be exploited and then determine the method by which it can be carried out. A variety of methods and tactics can be utilized by attackers ranging from spear phishing to spoofing and email spamming. Attackers can find out if a system can be compromised using exploits by various means. Exploits are classified as malicious or benign according to their level of access to the system. Attackers who have gained access to IT staff members usually use malware, worms and Trojans to the system administrator may employ administrative privileges to allow users to execute malicious code.
One of the main objectives of a social engineering technique is for it to lure a targeted user into sharing sensitive information such as his email address, phone number and personal files. For instance, if an organization’s website contains a form for a subscription form, an attacker can use this form to extract sensitive information from the victim. The attacker can use this information to disguise himself as a legitimate representative of the company and send emails to the victim impersonating the company. If the victim submits sensitive information such as his credit card number online, he can become a victim of spam. If the webmaster of the website is unaware that the subscriber is being spammed, he can unknowingly infect his website with malware that can steal his valuable data.
Social Engineering Technique
Another objective of these social engineering techniques is for them to compromise a system or employee in order to obtain confidential information. An example of this is data theft. A hacker can gain unauthorized access to a computer system and gain access to database files by compromising a server or even a network. Once inside, he can use this information to obtain sensitive and confidential information. He can use this information to obtain access to a company’s assets and to cause financial damage.
Social engineering also involves the fraudulent use of one’s position in order to gain access to another person. This can be used to gain access to secured sites or to gain access to a business. This method makes use of deception to trick the victim into entering private or proprietary information. Once inside, the hacker can use this information to obtain unauthorized access to another person’s network. The hacker can also use this method to obtain unauthorized access to a business’ computer files. Again, if the webmaster is not aware that his subscriber is being spammed, he can unknowingly infect his website with malware that can steal his valuable data.
One of the most common methods employed by hackers is the so-called phishing attack. This is an attack in which hackers use fake email to trick their victims. The spoof is designed to appear as coming from an authentic source that looks very reliable. Once inside, the spoofed email contains a link that leads to a page that claims to deliver confidential information or a password that accesses an internal website.
Another type of social phishing technique is called pretexting. This is more of a psychological tactic rather than an actual technique. This technique is used to lure people into sharing their personal information or private information on the internet. Once this information is obtained, the attacker can use it for several reasons. The most common reason for protesting is gaining access to an organization’s internal network or to gain access to a business’s computer files.
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