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Social Engineering Attacks
Social Engineering Attacks
| Social Engineering Attacks |
| Posted By: D-A-L | Date Added: 11-11-2005 02:22 PM | Views: 871 |
It's not bad enough that hackers can penetrate home and business
computers and steal all of your personal, corporate, and financial data,
but they are also simply "talking" you out of this personal information
without ever evening accessing your PC. This type of attack is called
" Social Engineering" and it happens thousands of times a day in the U.S.
alone. Here's how it works:
"Social Engineering" is a fifty-cent word for lying. A Social
Engineering attack occurs when someone lies to you in a way that causes
you to divulge personal or sensitive information that you would not
otherwise reveal.
For example, there has been a rash of very official looking email
messages that look as though they come from major banks in the U.S.
These email message claim that your on-line banking account has been
compromised and that you should log in and change your password at once. The message use HTML and often uses the logo and images that are found on your actual bank's web page. Further, they present you with a link that looks exactly what you bank's link should look like. The trick is that they use a clever method of making the link say one thing but actually having the link point to one of their own web sites. When you click the link it looks just like you've reached your bank. You give your user name and password to log in and that's when the enemy has everything they need to clean you out.
Sometimes the thieves strike via the telephone. They'll call you and
present a perfectly logical scenario that's designed to get you to
divulge your ATM password or some other sensitive bit of information
that will enable them to drain your bank account dry. Before you even
know what happened you're overdrawn and the real bank is calling this
time.
While there is no end to the types of Social Engineering attacks that
are being perpetrated against unsuspecting people, there is one solution
that works to stop every single one of them dead in their tracks.
Be Suspicious
Never click on a link in an email that purports to link to your Bank,
Credit Union, or Credit Card issuer. Always type the URL in that you
always use or select the usual URL from your bookmark list if you've
saved it.
Never call any telephone number that is provided in an email. Always go
to the real web site and get the telephone number from there.
Financial service personnel will never ask you to reveal your PIN number
over the phone or via email so just don't do it.
If someone calls and asks for sensitive information, ask for their name
and phone number and tell them that you'll call them right back.
Although the chances are they will simply hang up on you, some might
give you the requested information. Either way, hang up and call your
financial institution at the number that appears in the phone book or on
the actual web site. Explain what happened to the person who answers and let them advise you. If it's a scam they'll know. If it's legitimate
then you've done no harm by being cautious.
It really is that simple. You do not have to give your personal
information out to anyone that you don't want to, so don't do it!
This article may not be copied or distributed in part or in full from this site and is copyright D24 Media Limited.
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