Social engineering attacks can threaten the operations of business organizations. In such attacks, bad actors attack the psychology of their victims. They exploit the weaknesses of their victims. It is extremely important to understand how they work and how good protective work can be done to secure your business.
Here is the complete guide to social engineering attacks and the steps by which your business can be protected from them.
Perpetrators of social engineering attacks lead people to release confidential information or perform actions that compromise the security of the organization.
Social engineering attacks can take on multiple forms, including phishing, pretexting, baiting, and tailgating. What is common in all of these examples is the reliance of the perpetrators on human emotions like trust, fear, urgency, and curiosity.
Phishing is the most common type of social engineering attack. Here, a person might receive malicious emails or messages that seem to be coming from a trusted source. This causes the recipient to allow the attackers to gain access to confidential information or click on malicious links.
Similarly, pretexting refers to the attackers creating a fake situation. The primary intention is always to get confidential information from the victim.
Baiting is another type of social engineering attack in which the attacker lures the victim using some tempting offer. In return, they may make the victim share confidential information.
1. MGM Resorts: The attackers used a combination of vishing and malware to access MGM Resorts. They implemented phishing calls to employees, who thereafter compromised logins, thus infecting the network with the malware.
2. Cisco: Hackers compromised a Cisco employee's personal Google account. From there, they obtained VPN credentials. These hackers used voice phishing and MFA fatigue to bypass the other security measures enacted and registered devices for MFA to gain access to several systems.
3. Google and Facebook: A citizen of Lithuania registered a fake firm and created the appearance of a legitimate computer manufacturing firm. It managed to scam Google and Facebook out of millions of dollars.
An educated workforce will be the first barrier against a social engineering attack. Employees should be trained on the several forms of attacks and how to recognize them through training programs. Simulated phishing can also help a workforce gain experience in the identification and response to suspicious e-mails and messages.
Strict security policies must be established and implemented along with enforcement mechanisms. These policies must have details of handling sensitive information, verification of the identity of people who wish to access the information, and reporting suspicious activity.
Audits and updates on policies at regular intervals ensure the efficiency of the policies in fighting advanced threats.
Implement appropriate technical safeguards, such as antivirus software, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems, for that network. MFA is the two-factor authentication process that requires another step at all times for gaining access to any type of resource.
This offers multiple forms of verification before being granted access to the system.
Additionally, encryption of sensitive data would ensure that unauthorized access cannot be completed even if it is captured.
Ensure sensitive information is accessible only through strict controls on who is granted access. The Principle of Least Privilege requires that the amount of access given to people should be a minimum required for individuals to do their work.
Verification, such as callback verification for sensitive requests, can be taken to determine whether a request for information is valid.
Regular security audits will reveal vulnerabilities in your systems, and constant monitoring of network activity may alert you to unusual behavior that could be indicative of a social engineering attack.
SIEM could provide real-time analysis of the security alerts generated by applications and network hardware.
A well-planned incident response plan is necessary to minimize damage from a social engineering attack. It must have primary communication protocols in a breach of security, primary containment measures, and possible procedures for recovery.
Social engineering attacks are another pervasive threat that could have severe consequences for businesses. Understanding how attackers gain unauthorized access and with all-inclusive protection measures is crucial.
Employee education, robust security policies, technical safeguards, and a comprehensive response incident plan form all these key elements of an effective defense approach.
This can be achieved by promoting a security-aware culture and staffing security efforts through employees. They would then become the first line of defense against the onslaught of social engineering attacks.