Today's Message
Posted: Wednesday, February 8, 2017Information Security Awareness: Detecting Social Engineering Attacks
What is social engineering? It is trickery masked as legitimate communication.
An example of social engineering might be an e-mail message with the subject line "Parking Ticket." The sender appears to be a real person, for example, Marie Womack. The contents of the e-mail message might say, "We got this today, but I think it's for you. You should pay it ASAP." It would include a link that reads "Parking Ticket 3367221." The message might conclude with Marie's signature, offering a phone number and e-mail address. If a user were to click on the link, he or she would unwittingly give information or download malware (PDF, 410 KB), allowing the nefarious Marie Womack access to coveted contacts and private information.
Read more about social engineering in the January 2017 Ouch! newsletter (PDF, 401 KB), and please share this information with your students.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
