Social engineering is one of the biggest threats to business computer networks, since it gets in via the weakest security link – human error. Read on to learn about the dangers of social engineering schemes (especially phishing and its variants) and how to protect against this threat.

Phishing and its Dangers

Phishing is a subset of social engineering attacks, and is a form of manipulation whose object is to falsely obtain personal information, inject malware into a computer network, or both. A bad actor can use an email to trick an unsuspecting victim into responding to appeals to fear, or even wanting to be helpful. Variants of phishing include vishing (voice phishing), or smishing (via text message) or even via social media sites. Whatever the medium, the objective is the same–stealing data or distributing malware on a company’s network. Any social engineering attempt can cause a security incident resulting in identity theft or financial and reputational loss to your business. 

How to Recognize a Phishing Attack

What does one do with an unsolicited email, or phone call, or text, that looks like it’s from a legitimate entity? The very fact it is unsolicited is a clue, and if it contains an urgent appeal for action, that’s a tip-off that it isn’t what it seems. Such urgent action could be addressing a password issue or updating an account. Irregularities in graphic images as well as grammatical errors are also signs. Even though artificial intelligence can now be used to generate emails not containing these errors, the urgent calls to action remain the same.  Other signs include:

• Requests for money or sensitive information
• Files and attachments not requested by the receiver
• Generic messages rather than ones with specific details

Protecting Your Business from The Dangers of Social Engineering

Organizations can use technology to prevent ransomware and security incidents, but one of the best ways to prevent such attacks is employee training. Do workers know what to do and not to do with a suspicious email, text or phone call? Do they understand the dangers posed by social engineering attacks, and what to look for? One way to check a message’s legitimacy is to contact the supposed sender by a different method, to verify if the message is legitimate or not.

Social engineering attacks are among the many threats to your company’s cybersecurity. Now is the time to review your response plan. For further assistance, contact your trusted technology advisor today.