Phishing and social engineering attacks exploit human psychology to trick individuals into disclosing sensitive information or taking harmful actions.
Phishing involves sending deceptive emails or texts, and the goal is to acquire confidential data like passwords or credit card information.
Spear phishing targets specific individuals or organizations with personalized messages to increase credibility and success rates.
Whaling is a form of spear phishing that targets high-profile individuals for potentially large payoffs.
Vishing involves phone calls to gather personal information by posing as legitimate entities like banks or companies.
Smishing uses text messages with malicious links to deceive recipients into giving away sensitive data.
Pretexting involves fabricating scenarios to engage victims and extract their information, often by impersonating trustworthy figures.
Scammers use baiting attacks to entice victims with appealing offers that lead to security breaches.
Understanding the signs of phishing, such as generic greetings and urgent demands for sensitive information, can help individuals avoid falling for scams.
Practicing caution with email attachments, verifying suspicious communications independently, and enabling two-factor authentication are recommended safeguards against social engineering attacks.