Understanding Social Engineering Attack Methods

Uploaded on 2024-08-30 in TECHNOLOGY--Resilience, FREE TO VIEW

Social engineering is a term used for a broad range of criminal activity and it is a dangerous weapon that is used by many cyber criminals to achieve their odious goals. It leverages psychological manipulation to deceive individuals into divulging confidential or personal information.

As technological defences become more robust, cyber criminals are increasingly using social engineering techniques to exploit the weakest link in the security chain: people.

Social engineers use a variety of means, both online and offline, to deceive unsuspecting users into compromising their security, transferring money or giving away sensitive information and it is different from traditional hacking, which relies on exploiting software vulnerabilities, social engineering targets human vulnerabilities.

Here are the most common types of social engineering attacks currently in use with real-world examples.

Phishing: Hook, Line & Sinker

Phishing is one of the most common social engineering attacks. It involves sending fraudulent communications, usually emails, that appear to come from a legitimate source. The goal is to trick recipients into providing sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial details.

In 2022, a sophisticated phishing attack aimed at stealing Office 365 credentials, where attackers impersonated the US Department of Labor (DoL). This scam demonstrates the increasing sophistication and convincing nature of modern phishing attempts.

Spear Phishing: Precision Social Engineering

Spear phishing is a more targeted version of phishing. While phishing attacks are often sent to many recipients with a “mud-against-the-wall” approach, spear phishing targets specific individuals or firms. The malicious actor customises the message based on information about the target, making it more convincing.

As world leaders deliberated on the best response to the escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Microsoft issued a warning in February 2022 about a new spear phishing campaign by a Russian hacking group targeting Ukrainian public sector entities and NGOs. The group, known as Gamaredon and tracked by Microsoft as ACTINIUM, had reportedly targeted “organisations critical to emergency response and ensuring the security of Ukrainian territory” since 2021.

Pretexting

Pretexting is another form of social engineering involving creating a fabricated scenario to steal information. These scams use the same social engineering techniques that con artists have used for centuries to manipulate their victims, such as deception, validation, flattery, and intimidation. The attacker pretends to need the information to confirm the victim’s identity or to help with a supposed emergency.

At the organisational level, a pretexting actor may take extensive measures to impersonate trusted figures such as managers, coworkers, or customers. This could involve fabricating identities through fraudulent email addresses, websites, or social media profiles. In more elaborate scenarios, the attacker might arrange face-to-face meetings with targets. For instance, a hacker masquerading as a vendor representative might schedule a meeting to gain access to confidential customer data. The attacker aims to appear credible during these encounters and build rapport with the target.

By establishing trust, the attacker increases the likelihood that the target will comply with requests for sensitive information, believing them to be legitimate.

Deepfakes

Deepfakes, which use artificial intelligence (AI) to create realistic but fake audio, video, or images that impersonate real people, are increasingly used in various social engineering attacks to create compelling but fraudulent scenarios. They leverage manipulated audio and video to deceive targets into disclosing sensitive information or performing actions they otherwise would not.

In 2022 a deepfake purported to show President Zelensky declaring that Ukraine has “decided to return Donbas” to Russia. and instructing Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms.

Quid Pro Quo

Another type of social engineering is quid pro quo attacks, which involve offering a service or benefit in exchange for information. Attackers may promise tech support, free software, or other services to persuade victims to reveal confidential information.

One of the most prevalent quid pro quo attacks involves fraudsters posing as representatives of the US Social Security Administration (SSA). These fraudsters contact individuals randomly, requesting confirmation of their Social Security Numbers under false pretences, enabling identity theft.

Attackers don’t even need to be very convincing, as previous incidents have demonstrated that office employees are willing to divulge their passwords in exchange for inexpensive items like pens or chocolate bars.

Honeytraps

Honeytraps involve creating fake online personas to establish romantic relationships with victims. The goal is to gain and exploit the victim’s trust for financial gain or access to sensitive information.According to police reports, a man from Vancouver Island lost $150,000 in a romance scam. Over several months, the scammer requested money for plane tickets, medical bills, and various other expenses.

In 2023 the FBI Seizes $112m From 'CryptoRom' Criminals. Their schemes involve fraudsters cultivating long-term relationships with victims online to coax them to make crypto-currency investments. The catch is that the transferred funds end up in the swindler’s pockets while the victim is abandoned

Piggybacking

Two other widespread threats are tailgating and piggybacking. Tailgating, in essence, is unauthorised access to secured spaces, which malefactors gain by exploiting the trust of real users. It involves gaining physical access to a restricted area by following someone with legitimate access and exploiting the courtesy of others to gain entry without proper authorisation.

It can also involve badge cloning, using unattended devices, or impersonation. Piggybacking happens when someone attempts to piggyback onto a hacker's attempted extortion.

In 2018, an individual admitted guilt in England's Reading Crown Court for unauthorised computer access and blackmail, while he was working at Oxford Biomedica, a gene therapy company. There was an incident where the company faced a ransom demand of $370,000 in Bitcoin after an attack. One untrustworthy employee even altered ransom notes to redirect payments to his cryptocurrency wallet, effectively launching a separate attack against his employer.

Business Email Compromise

Business email compromise (BEC) is a sophisticated cyberattack where criminals meticulously gather information about an organisation's structure and key executives. Using this knowledge, they exploit the trust associated with high-ranking positions, like the CFO, to trick employees into transferring funds or divulging sensitive information.

By gaining access to an executive's email account, attackers impersonate them and request urgent financial transactions, such as paying fraudulent invoices. They exploit the time-sensitive nature of these transactions to minimise the chances of detection.

BEC is one of the most common attacks and one of the most costly types of cybercrime. Between 2013 and 2022, the FBI says BEC attacks caused roughly $50.8 billion in losses worldwide.

Awareness & Education

Social engineering attacks are a growing scourge in today's digital landscape. They exploit human psychology rather than technological weaknesses, making them particularly challenging to defend against. Awareness and education are crucial in combating these attacks and employees should know how to recognise and report potential incidents promptly.

Key points to emphasise in security awareness training:

If you receive a suspicious email, verify its legitimacy by contacting the sender directly via phone or in person.
Be sceptical of unsolicited offers. If something appears too good to be true, it likely is.
Always lock your laptop when stepping away from your workstation to prevent unauthorised access.
Invest in antivirus software. While no antivirus solution offers foolproof protection, it can significantly bolster defences against social engineering tactics.
Familiarise yourself with your company’s privacy policy to understand protocols regarding access permissions for external individuals.
Validate urgent requests from internal contacts before taking action, primarily involving financial transactions or sensitive information.
Foster a culture of risk awareness to keep employees vigilant.

Social engineering thrives on human error, so embedding security awareness into the organisational mindset is crucial.

By understanding the common types of social engineering attacks and recognising their real-world implications, individuals and organisations can better protect themselves from these pervasive threats.

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