What is Social Engineering? Should I Worry About It?

Summary: This 3-minute article discusses how social engineering hacks can steal your private data using fake emails, texts and websites. Also, it explains how you can get the proper cyber security in place for your SMB to help guard against social engineering cyberattacks. Contact DIGIGUARD CYBER SECURITY at 833-33-CYBER (833-332-9237) or visit www.DIGIGUARDsecurity.com to schedule a security risk assessment and discuss social engineering prevention for your small to midsized business.

Social Engineering uses deceptive techniques to mislead people and trick them into divulging confidential data that cybercriminals can use for illegal purposes. There are many ways that hackers use social engineering to breach data:

• Phishing – Phishing is the term for a broad category of cyber deception, including spear phishing emails, fake websites and text messages, all designed to look legitimate and compromise the user’s private data. With some attention to detail, users can learn how to recognize phishing emails. Taking a minute to analyze the exact domain name and sender’s email can often uncover a phishing attempt. For example, changing one letter from www.google.com to www.gooqle.com can be easily overlooked. Without thorough examination, a hacker’s changing the second “g” to a “q” might go unnoticed. The time taken to ensure the sender is a trusted source is time well spent avoiding a deadly cyberattack.
• Spear Phishing – This type of attack sends emails disguised to look as if they are from trusted sources to scam users out of private or personal data. Think about what information you might share with someone you trust. It is easy to imagine how cybercriminals, pretending to be that person, might use your innate trust to steal your data.
• Clone Phishing – Clone Phishing is when a hacker steals the information from a previously delivered email or attachment from a trusted source and then creates a nearly identical clone. The clone might look so real that you will trust its origin and the hacker will capitalize on your misplaced trust.
• Malware – Any malicious software designed to trick or disrupt users and computers is malware. Malware is used to gain unauthorized access to data and systems. A successful attack can bring small to mid-sized businesses to a grinding halt.
• Baiting – Baiting is a hacking technique that tricks the user into making impulsive, insecure actions with the promise of a reward to steal private data. There will be no reward. However, there might be devastating consequences for taking the “bait.”
• Pretexting – Pretexting is the cyber criminal’s act of pretending to be someone they are not, intending to trick the user into giving up private information.
• Water-Holing – Water-Holing is a sophisticated cyberattack that first infects a website with malicious software and then infects any visitors who visit the website.

Ironically, humans are the weak link in almost all cyberattacks. Hackers prey upon our trusting impulses to click on links, emails, and open attachments. Cybercriminals have learned that clever wording of texts and emails can prompt users to do all kinds of things, including disclosing private data and credentials. SMBs that take cyber security seriously might focus on the technical IT aspects of security. However, without company-wide cyber security awareness training to establish cyber security best practices, any user in your organization could open the door to a cyberattack.

Social Engineering Prevention

Small to midsized businesses often spend most of their budgets on operating their companies. However, with the enormous increase in remote access work, SMBs must focus more on cyber security as one of their top-line items. IT experts can help you prevent or reduce the incidence of costly social engineering cyberattacks. Professional IT security consulting is the best way to ensure you have the proper layers of cyber security in place to protect your SMB. With enough time and resources, the most prolific hackers can eventually breach most cyber protections. However, with robust cyber security in place, cyberattacks of all kinds can be spotted early, mitigated and contained before data is breached and extensive damage is done to your business network and all its endpoint devices. Unfortunately, the process of cyber protection has become too complex for amateurs. Many essential considerations are far beyond the expertise of the most tech-savvy users. Professional IT security consulting is the best way to protect your business fully.

DIGIGUARD Cyber Security is an IT security service specializing in cyber threat protection for small to midsized companies. In addition, DIGIGUARD can provide your SMB with powerful layers of security, making it more difficult for hackers to access your network. Therefore, your company’s data will be safer and less likely to be breached in the face of our expanding mobile work environment. But, as the FBI www.fbi.org has stated repeatedly, the best defense against a cyberattack is never to have one. Toward that goal, solid prevention and relentless monitoring, in tandem with swift mitigating responses to an attack, are essential protections in the face of escalating cyber criminality. Furthermore, DIGIGUARD can assess your cyber vulnerability and work with you to ensure you have the best network and data protection solutions for your business.

Contact DIGIGUARD CYBER SECURITY at 833-33-CYBER (833-332-9237) or visit www.DIGIGUARDsecurity.com to schedule a cyber risk analysis to explore prevention strategies available to guard against deadly cyberattacks. In addition, find out how they can provide robust security protocols to protect your company’s hard-earned data.