Types of Social Engineering Attacks
Social engineering attacks come in many different forms and can be performed anywhere where human interaction is involved. The following are common forms of digital social engineering attacks.
- Phishing.
- Whaling.
- Baiting.
- Diversion Theft.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC)
- Smishing.
- Quid Pro Quo.
- Pretexting.
Phishing: The process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity using bulk email, SMS text messaging, or by phone. Phishing messages create a sense of urgency, curiosity, or fear in the recipients of the message. The message will prod victims into revealing sensitive information, clicking on links to malicious websites, or opening attachments that contain malware
Baiting: A type of social engineering attack where a scammer uses a false promise to lure a victim into a trap which may steal personal and financial information or inflict the system with malware. The trap could be in the form of a malicious attachment with an enticing name.
The most common form of baiting uses physical media to disperse malware. For example, attackers leave the bait of a malware-infected flash drives in conspicuous areas where potential victims are certain to see them. When the victim inserts the flash drive into a work or home computer, the malware is automatically installed on the system. Baiting scams are also online in the form of tempting ads that lead to malicious sites or encourage users to download a malware-infected application.