- Social Engineering An Example of SMS Text Phishing
SMS phishing ('smishing') messages impersonate carriers like Verizon to direct victims to credential-harvesting websites using spoofed sender numbers and lookalike domains. Mobile users are...
- Social Engineering The Need for Ethics When Researching Social Engineering
Studying social engineering helps strengthen defenses against persuasion-based attacks, but research must be conducted ethically. The term "con artist" glorifies fraud; social engineering without...
- Social Engineering Psychological Similarities Between Shoplifting and Malicious Hacking
Most shoplifters aren't professionals. They steal for excitement, superiority, and belonging, and those same emotions help explain what draws people to malicious hacking.
- Social Engineering Similarities Between Riots and Modern Internet Hacktivism
Decentralized hacking groups operate without formal leadership, yet they coordinate like mobs in a riot. De-individuation, instigating events, and risk-taking 'entrepreneurs' drive both, and...
- Social Networking The Use of Fake or Fraudulent LinkedIn Profiles
Fake LinkedIn profiles have been used in targeted attacks to establish contact with employees and in bank guarantee scams. Security researchers like Thomas Ryan demonstrated how easily fictitious...
- Malware The Use of Social Engineering by Mobile Device Malware
Mobile malware spreads primarily through social engineering rather than exploits. Techniques include disguising trojans as legitimate apps (DroidDream looked like "Super Guitar Solo"), directing...