Social engineering training is the key to empowering employees and creating a more secure workforce. Education helps people avoid doing things that could endanger the security of the business entirely unintentionally.
Fortunately, with cybersecurity awareness training, employees can learn to identify threats, and you can create a more secure workforce.
What Is Social Engineering, and Why Do People Need To Understand It?
Social engineering attempts to manipulate people into revealing sensitive information, such as login information or confidential data and information for your business. When people better understand how criminals operate these scams, they become better prepared to stop cybersecurity attacks.
Arm your defenders! Fight phishing and social engineering with your own secret weapon – cybersecurity awareness training. Get started here.
What Social Engineering Tricks Do You Need to Watch Out For?
There are several different strategies criminals will use to gain access or obtain sensitive information from people:
- Emails or websites with malicious links that encourage people to click and then download harmful software
- Spoof emails asking for personal information, like bank account numbers, passwords or Social Security numbers
- Fake web pages that try to get people to attempt to log into an account
- Impersonating someone that would be privy to private information
- Pretending to be a service vendor and claiming you owe them a payment and are late
- Emailing as your boss working in another office and in immediate need of confidential information
With the right training, your staff can learn how to spot these threats and act accordingly.
Do you want to create better passwords? Here are your password best practices: hint, there shouldn’t be a post-it note in sight.
What Signs Should I Watch For?
Knowing what signs to watch for can help you and your employees spot the warning signs of social engineering, empowering you to put a stop to it. The key is a close examination of any communication you receive, particularly email.
Start at the top. Look at the email address the email comes from and who it is going to. If the reply email address does not match the from email address, if people you do not recognize are included on the email, or if you see any misspellings in the email address or names involved, flag the email.
Look at the time and date of the email. If the email came in at an unusual time when you would not expect anyone at your business to work, slow down and investigate further.
Consider the language used. If you find that the subject line seems unusually urgent or the language in the email makes you want to rush, look into the email’s origin closer to ensure you are not being pressured into giving away sensitive information.
Check for odd links in the email. If there is a link in the email that urgently encourages you to click it, that should also raise some red flags.
Tips To Stay Safe From Social Engineering
Education and strong policies play a crucial role in thwarting social engineering attempts.
Generally speaking, you want to verify the communications you receive. If you receive an email with a link, hover to see if that link goes where you expect. If someone emails you to request sensitive information urgently, contact that person through a different channel to make sure it is really them. Do not email them because their email account could be compromised.
Next week we’ll cover more actionable tips you can implement to keep your business safe, in part 2 of this blog series. Stay Tuned!
How Do I Know if I’m Vulnerable?
Vulnerabilities for businesses arise when employees do not know what to look for when faced with social engineering attacks.
You can protect your business from the threat posed by social engineering by implementing cybersecurity training. We provide businesses with cybersecurity services, including engaging, real-world social engineering training, as part of comprehensive cybersecurity training.
Book an appointment now and let’s beef up your best defense.