What is Social Engineering?
Social engineering is a form of manipulation used to trick people into divulging sensitive information or performing actions that may not be in their best interest. It relies on exploiting human emotions such as trust, fear, or curiosity. The goal of social engineering is to gain access to valuable resources, such as financial accounts or confidential data, by exploiting human weakness rather than technical vulnerabilities. Examples of social engineering include phishing attacks, where a scammer sends fraudulent emails or messages that appear to be from a trusted source, and pretexting, where a scammer pretends to be someone they're not, such as a representative from a legitimate company, to gain access to confidential information. Social engineering can be difficult to detect and prevent, as it often relies on the victim's lack of awareness and vigilance.
What is Phishing?
A subcategory of Social Engineering, Phishing is a type of online fraud that aims to trick people into revealing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details. Typically, phishers send out fake emails or messages that appear to be from a legitimate source, like a bank or a social media platform, but actually contain links to fake websites designed to steal personal information. Phishing can also involve phone calls or text messages. To avoid falling victim to phishing, it's important to be wary of unsolicited messages, to never share personal information with unknown sources, and to always double-check the authenticity of websites and messages before responding.
By M. Ross
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