Social engineering is based on the exploitation of human weaknesses. Instead of exploiting technical weaknesses in systems, attackers rely on psychological manipulation. They exploit human characteristics such as trust, helpfulness, curiosity, fear or respect for authority to achieve their goals. These weaknesses are often universal and make people susceptible to manipulation, regardless of their technical expertise.
Another basic principle is deception and manipulation. Social engineers are masters of deception. They invent credible stories, pretend to be trustworthy people or use other tricks to manipulate their victims. Through clever manipulation, victims are tricked into carrying out actions that harm their own interests or those of their company. Victims often do not even realize that they are being manipulated.
A decisive factor in social engineering is building trust. Attackers try to establish a relationship of trust with the victim in order to increase their credibility. They pose as acquaintances, colleagues or authority figures and use social interaction to gain trust. Once trust has been gained, victims are more willing to disclose sensitive information or carry out actions that are against their interests.
Protective measures against social engineering:
- Employee training: Raising employee awareness of the dangers of social engineering and training in recognizing attacks.
- Policies and processes: Introduction of clear guidelines for handling sensitive information and verifying identities.
- Technical security measures: Use of firewalls, anti-virus software and other security technologies.
- Caution and skepticism: Critically question requests and offers, especially if they seem unusual or suspicious.