🎃 Happy Halloween!

In the spirit of the season, we wanted to debunk, and de-scare, some of the myths about social engineering.

Social engineering is:

the use of deception to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information that may be used for fraudulent purposes.

It sounds pretty scary. And it is. Social engineering accounts for the majority of hacks, security incidents, and data breaches. Attackers have access to your contact info, oftentimes your passwords (hopefully you do not reuse passwords), and with the Internet and social media they likely know a good deal about you. Attackers also have access to simple to run software tools that automates and scales their attacks.

These are just the facts. It does not mean you need to fall victim to one of these attacks.

🙀 Be Vigilant, not Afraid

While the definition of social engineering is scary, you don’t have to go about your day and use the devices and apps you use being scared of getting attacked. The most important thing you can do is be vigilant while using your apps and devices. Since the vast majority of successful attacks are launched through email, slow down when you are going through your inbox. Don’t react to messages when you are tired and not really paying attention.

👻 Don’t fear talking about security

You will be attacked. This will most likely take the form of fake emails or text messages trying to get you to click a link and provide information to the attackers (most often username and password). When you have a question or your gut tells you there’s something off with a message, do not hesitate to ask questions. Security is something people should ask questions about. So just ask.

👹 Breaches suck but don’t have to be scary

Having a data breach is what most people fear most when it comes to data security and data privacy. This is understandable as it’s expensive to investigate, report, and pay penalties. But, the worst thing that can happen in a breach is hiding information or not communicating effectively with partners, customers, and even the media. Remember, breaches happen but the way you react to them is just as important as the breach itself.

—-

🎃 Happy Halloween from Haekka!

‍