A system is only as strong as its weakest link, often a human. Social engineering specifically targets individuals to trick them into performing unintended actions, making it a popular tactic in some of the largest hacks in history. This method exploits certain human tendencies, such as:
Victims of successful social engineering attacks often don’t realize they’ve been targeted.
Humans inherently want to help each other, which can be exploited in social engineering attacks. In this scenario, Eve rushes into a corporate office with coffee-soaked papers, claiming she needs her documents printed for an urgent job interview. She hands the receptionist a malicious USB stick disguised as a request for assistance. This seemingly innocent act could grant attackers access to the internal network, potentially compromising other systems.