What is social engineering?
Social engineering is the name for a range of techniques used by cybercriminals as a way to manipulate people into handing over confidential information.
The reason social engineering is used so successfully online is because it is much easier for criminals to exploit human trust than it is to hack software.
Common tricks used by hackers in order to trick people into handing over personal data include email phishing, baiting on peer-to-peer sites and social networks, and responses to questions you never had, such as help requests from software companies and banks.
Virtually all methods of social engineering involve you clicking on a link to a malicious website or downloading malicious content, both of which are designed to steal your private data.
It is not always easy to spot a social engineering scam but you can protect yourself by installing Cloud Web Security to secure all devices and being vigilant in your online activity.