Social engineering
The general name for methods that obtain information, access or actions by exploiting people's trust, helpfulness or fear instead of a technical flaw.
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Why it matters
Even well-protected systems can be bypassed by an employee who shares a password over the phone or opens screen sharing for a fake support team. Attackers build convincing stories from information collected on social media and the company website. Clear procedures and a culture where a suspicious employee can freely ask are the best defence.
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Example
Someone calls an employee claiming to be from IT and says they need to connect remotely for an update. The employee calls the internal help desk, learns there is no such task and refuses the connection.
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Common mistake
Limiting awareness to e-mail phishing. Phone calls, messaging apps and face-to-face approaches use the same method; training and procedures should cover them too.
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Related terms
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