What is social engineering? What is dumpster diving?
1. Social engineering is someone who uses social skills to get computer users to provide information that allows a hacker to access an information system or its data.
Dumpster diving is when someone goes through the trash of an organization to find secret or confidential information, including information needed to access an information system or its data
Give two reasons that smartphones are such a ripe target for hackers.
2. Smartphones are a ripe target for hackers for several reasons, one is that smartphones have limited security and antimalware protection. Second malware creators can access email and contact lists, monitor personal communications, and capture vital data such as
Social engineering has a history of being used to collect and analyze information, however the information is commonly used for blackmailing reasons. There exist various definitions of social engineering depending on the type of attack that has occurred. Social engineering is described as the ability to deceive someone with the intention of breaching security levels (Shetty, p.1). It involves deceiving through the use of phones, computer or in-person. All that is needed is the information required for one to access the systems. Important evidence such as; computer systems is mostly disposed to to social engineering (Shetty, p.1). Often, social engineering occurs as a consequence of carelessness or gaps in security systems. It mainly
Social engineering refers to the techniques that are used by the criminals to manipulate people to give out their confidential information such as user names, passwords and bank accountants without being aware (Hadnagy, 2011). This technique is used by the criminals over the internet to trick people to disclose their confidential information rather than hacking the software installed on their PC. Social engineering takes different forms and it is perpetrated by the individuals who wants to take advantage of others after getting confidential information that allows them to access their accounts such as email or databases that contain protected information. For instance, a criminal who want to access another person’s email account may send
Social engineering is a way of manipulating people so that they can provide their personal information to the cyber criminals. These criminals try to trick the individuals to try to get their passwords and bank information or gain access over to that individual’s computer. Criminals think that it is easier to fool someone to give them their password then try to hack their password. Basically they target those people who don’t have any idea that their information can be misused by these criminals so they just give all of their information. These criminals gain trust of those people before they get those people’s information for their own benefit. Social engineering is one of the biggest problem that people should be more aware of so they can
The Art of Deception is an in depth look at the vulnerability that the common man has to the social engineer. Mitnick’s perspective comes from a social angle instead of a technological one, seeing as he is known as the greatest hacker all over media and most of his methods weren’t technologically inclined but socially. A quick look into Mitnick’s background, he was an only child who had a knack for understanding the Nitti Gritty of technology. As a child, he managed to ‘hack’ the bus system in Los Angeles and travel for free, exploited telephone networks as a teen and in college, infiltrated their network and was later hired because it was either that or expulsion. These are just a few of his many hacking exhibitions. He has served jail time because he realised what he did was wrong and is now helping companies avoid similar exploitations through his security company, public talks and through his books.
The criminals that are involved in social engineering are pursuing information by tricking you into giving out your passwords or bank data. They also access your computer to corruptly install malicious software that will give them access to your personal information. Common social engineering attacks are emails from a friend, baiting situations like offering new music, phishing attempts like test messages, and etc. Many ways to elude these type of attacks like investigating the matter, delete any invitation for financial information, or reject requests for help or proposals of
Social engineering is often referred to as a technique a person, through use of deception, uses to gain trust and to fool a person into providing information that he/she would not typically freely give for the use of malicious intent. However, some would argue this definition should be broadened to include that it may or may not be for malicious intent, as some professions use social engineering for testing security measures (Hadnagy, 2011). For the remainder of the paper social engineering is in reference to as one with malicious intent.
Social engineering is one of the most overlooked aspects of information security and yet it is the easiest way for someone usually an employee - to gain access to restricted information on a computer network. Attacks can be either physical or psychological; each can be equally effective in acquiring confidential information. Methods used to get information can be either human- or computer-based, with different psychological reasons why each method works. Protecting against social engineers boils down to policies that guard against their attacks, but these policies must also be complemented with an effective security awareness program in order to be successful.
The rate of almost everyone adapting to go mobile has made it harder in the IT world to keep information safe. The more capable mobile devices are of helping users access and manipulate data, the more capable they are of being used by hackers to do the same (Chickowski, 2009). Mobile devices face a wide range of threats and vulnerabilities, but these vulnerabilities can be a result of inadequate technical controls or poor security from the consumer. Cell phones are communication at your fingertips and are a daily “must have” source for information, entertainment and networking. Unfortunately, just like desktop computers, cell phones are targets for malicious attacks, therefore prompting device security. Based on such assertion, this paper will describe the emerging threats, challenges, and how to utilize good security practices for cellular phones.
According to Social Engineer (2016), social engineering is “any act that influences a person to take an action that may or may not be in their best interest” (Social Engineer). Social engineering can be used in a technical or non-technical form. Both forms have many different categories and will be explored.
Social Engineering as defined by IT professionals is the practice of deceiving someone, either in person, over the phone or using a computer, with the express intent of breaching some level of security, either personal or professional (Ledford, 2011.) Implementing quality risk analysis solutions while maintaining data integrity is a crucial element of successful system modeling; within the context of social engineering in the workplace, there are several factors that can make implementing those solutions rather challenging. Social engineering is a type of
Social Engineering is coined as the art of human hacking. While it is great to be ahead of the game with all those fancy firewalls, switches and routers many companies fall short on one of the most important aspects of security, Social Engineering. Social Engineering is the one thing that will not trigger a single alarm and will bypass all of a company’s defenses. In a scenario, a few investigators show up at your local office and show their badges and ask for a tour of the place. You 're legally required to allow these investigators access in order for them to do their job. They ask a plethora of questions, even some that may seem out of the ordinary, looking at your physical security systems, asking for passwords, taking any readings they can off of everything and storing the information. They seem to be experts at their job, so you don’t question any of their alarming methods; however, they are actually security consultants conducting a Social Engineering 'penetration test ' or experiment and grabbing access cards, installing keystroke loggers, stealing passwords and generally getting away with as much of your business 's private information as they can get their hands on. Social engineers take advantage of human behavior and they aren 't worried about getting through your firewalls, switches, routers or other online defenses. Even your ‘fancy’ biometrics won 't mean much if your users are tricked into clicking on a malicious link they think came from a friend on the
Social engineering also known as people hacking, is the art of utilizing human behavior to breach security without the victim even realizing that they have been manipulated.
It is the manipulation of people through deception, lies, fabricated story and tricks. They influence and persuade people to obtain information with or without the use of technology. Social engineering is a powerful tool used by cyber criminals’ especially on seniors because of their level of trust.
In terms of computer security, Social Engineering refers to the psychological manipulation of people in order to access confidential information. It is believed that it can be easier to trick people than to hack into their computing system by force. Social engineers gather personal information or gain access to computers by exploiting people’s natural tendency to want to trust others and be helpful. Some methods that are used by social engineers to gain information are via email, the internet or even by phone to trick people into revealing sensitive information or get them to do something that goes against the company’s policy. “Social engineering has been an effective method of committing fraud for centuries. Recently, however, it has been used more and more to assist criminals in perpetrating crimes that can net large sums of money. Without one social engineering method or another, most current attacks would not be successful [11]”. Employees are an organization’s weakest link and social engineering attacks are only limited by the creativity of the perpetrator, which relies on the gullibility of people.
Another way that corporate data is compromised is through disgruntled or fired employees. Most employees may retain some data after they leave the organization and will notify the IT department to properly discard the data. However, fired or disgruntled employees usually