Six social engineering scams to watch out for

ATTACKERS EXPLOIT HUMAN BEHAVIOUR TO STEAL DATA

- BY ALI AL HAMMADI Reporter

The UAE Cybersecurity Council has warned that social engineering is increasing being used as a tool by cybercriminals to steal data.

Social engineering is a technique used by cyber criminals to exploit human trust or inattention in order to achieve their goals — whether by obtaining sensitive information or gaining access to protected systems.

It involves collecting basic information about victims and building personal connections with them by interacting with them online. This trust is then exploited to uncover vulnerabilities, or access confidential data.

The Council highlighted six social engineering techniques:

PHISHING:

Sending fake emails that appear to come from banks or trusted companies to trick recipients into clicking malicious links or sharing their passwords.

VISHING: