Types of Social Engineering attacks, and How to Protect Yourself from it.

Email, or electronic mail, is one of the simplest and most convenient ways to transmit information and data with others. It is, nevertheless, normal to get information or emails with dangerous attachments or questionable remarks. Some email service providers filter and designate such suspicious emails with the word "SPAM" in the subject line, suggesting to the recipient that the email is either junk mail or an unwanted email with questionable content sent to a large number of recipients. When recipients click on links in spam emails, they may be directed to phishing sites or sites that download malware to the victim's computer.

What is social engineering ?
The term "social engineering" refers to a variety of malevolent operations that are carried out through human relationships. It manipulates users' minds to make them make security mistakes or reveal important information.

One or more steps are involved in social engineering assaults. To carry out the assault, a perpetrator first examines the intended victim to obtain background information such as possible avenues of entry and weak security mechanisms. The attacker then works to acquire the victim's trust and give stimuli for further acts that violate security protocols, such as exposing sensitive data or granting access to crucial resources.

Here are the examples of Social Engineering attacks:

1. Phishing. When a malicious entity sends a fake email that appears to be from a trusted source. The letter is intended to dupe the receiver into revealing financial or personal information, or into clicking on a malicious link.

2. Vishing. Vishing, often known as voice phishing, is a type of social engineering that involves gathering financial or personal information from a victim over the phone.

3. Whaling. A whale assault is a type of phishing attack that targets high-profile personnel, such as the chief financial officer or the chief executive officer, in order to deceive them into providing sensitive information.

4. Pretexting. To acquire access to sensitive data, one party lies to the other. A pretexting fraud, for example, can involve an attacker pretending to want financial or personal information in order to verify the recipient's identity.

5. Spamming is the practice of sending many unsolicited messages to a large number of people for the purpose of commercial advertising, non-commercial proselytizing, or any other unlawful purpose, or just sending the same message to the same user over and over again.

It's not surprising that the majority of us have received several spam emails in our inboxes, and believe it or not, your online conduct contributes to the spam you receive. Here are easy strategies to protect yourself online and avoid spam:

To prevent falling victim to a social engineering scam, take the following precautions:

• Individuals seeking internal organizational data or personal information who contact you without your permission should be avoided.

• Personal information and passwords should not be sent over email or phone.

• Don't say anything about your company.

• Keep an eye out for URLs that have a different spelling or a different domain name (e.g., .com vs. .net).

• Contact the company directly to verify the validity of the request.

• Anti-virus software, firewalls, and email filters should all be installed and updated on a regular basis.

If you believe you have been the victim of a social engineering attack, take the following steps:

• Report the occurrence as soon as possible.

• Contact your financial institution and keep an eye on your account.

• Change all of your passwords right away.

• Notify the authorities and register a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.