What are social engineering attacks?
What Are Social Engineering Attacks?
Malicious software, or malware, is one of the biggest problems facing Web users today. Hackers and cyber criminals use malware as a way to damage a computer system without the owner’s knowledge or consent. Malware comes in various forms and can find its way on to a system in many different ways, one of which is through social engineering.
Social engineering attacks are used to lure unsuspecting internet users into opening files or clicking on links to infected websites. Hackers will generally use worms and Trojans to achieve their aim, disguising viruses as emails from seemingly legitimate organisations, or via P2P networks in the form of files that are designed to attract attention, such as key generators or popular software.
The best way to avoid becoming a victim of social engineering is to be vigilant in your online activity – not opening links to untrustworthy websites, checking the source of emails, etc. However, for extra peace of mind, it is recommended that Cloud Web Security be installed to help detect phishing schemes and alert you to potentially malicious websites. Cloud Web Security can also ensure safe search so that deceitful links are filtered out of search results.