✅Social Engineering Attack Vectors
Social engineering attack vectors are insidious techniques used by malicious actors to exploit human psychology and behavior for nefarious purposes.
Social engineering attack vectors are various methods or techniques that malicious actors use to manipulate and exploit human psychology and behavior to gain unauthorized access or extract sensitive information.
Social engineering attacks often involve deception, manipulation, and exploitation of human trust and vulnerabilities.
Phishing
This involves sending deceptive emails, text messages, or other forms of communication that appear to be from a legitimate source, such as a reputable organization or a trusted individual, with the aim of tricking the recipient into revealing sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, or credit card numbers.
Pretexting
In this technique, the attacker creates a fabricated story or pretext to deceive individuals into divulging personal information or performing actions that would benefit the attacker. For example, an attacker may pose as a trusted IT support technician and request login credentials from a target under the guise of resolving a technical issue.
Baiting
This involves offering a tempting incentive or reward, such as a free gift or a financial incentive, in exchange for personal information or actions. The attacker lures the victim with the promise of a benefit and exploits their greed or curiosity to extract sensitive information.
Tailgating
In this attack, the attacker gains unauthorized access to a secured area by closely following behind an authorized person, such as an employee with access credentials, through a secure entrance.
Impersonation
This involves posing as someone else, such as a trusted colleague, a customer, or a higher-ranking executive, to gain access to information or resources. The attacker may use social engineering techniques to convincingly imitate the impersonated individual and manipulate the victim into taking certain actions.
Manipulation of Authority
The attacker poses as an authoritative figure, such as a law enforcement officer, a manager, or a high-ranking executive, to intimidate or coerce the victim into divulging sensitive information or performing actions that would benefit the attacker.
Reverse Social Engineering
In this technique, the attacker gains the victim's trust through various means, such as building a relationship or providing assistance, and then leverages that trust to extract sensitive information or gain unauthorized access.
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