How to prevent social engineering attacks I’ve written a lot about different types of social engineering attacks and why we fall for them. But it’s not all bad news. We can do something to prevent them or protect ourselves from them. Prevention and protection can be implemented by using layers of defence. Each layer helps […]
Why do we fall for social engineering attacks? Over recent months, I’ve posted several articles on different types of social engineering attacks, including phishing (including how you can report phishing emails), vishing, baiting, water-holing, pretexting, diversion theft, honey traps, quid pro quo and tailgating. Now that we know what these are, I’m going to look […]
What is tailgating? Tailgating (also known as piggybacking) is one of the commonest ways hackers and other mal-actors gain access to restricted areas. This could be into a building or an area in the building like the computer room. The mal-actor follows a person through a secure access point, relying on the person to hold […]
What is quid pro quo? Quid pro quo is a Latin phrase that literally means “something for something,” or “this for that.” We use it to signify an exchange of goods, services, favours, or other things of value. It’s an attack beloved by mal-actors. In this attack, a mal-actor either offers to provide help (“Let […]
What can I do about reporting phishing emails? Phishing emails are a big problem. If you don’t know what phishing is, then you’ve either been extremely lucky or you’ve not read What is phishing? In brief, phishing emails are social engineering attacks that are trying to make you part with private and personal information (like […]
What is a honey trap? A honey trap is probably best known from the world of espionage and politics, where a person would use sex as a tool to extract information. Mata Hari Probably one of the best- known honey trap stories comes from the First World War. Mata Hari was a Dutch woman who […]
What is diversion theft? Diversion theft started as an “offline” attack where the mal-actor tricks a courier into picking up or dropping off a package from the wrong location and hence either facilitating the delivery of their false package or accessing the real package. It’s also known as the “Corner game” or “Round the corner […]