Welcome back everyone to the deep dive.
This time we're going deep on something that can be pretty scary,
you know, social engineering attacks.
Yeah.
We often think about hacking a super technical stuff like, you know,
right.
All that complicated code.
Yeah.
Algorithms, all that.
Right.
Yeah.
But this is different.
This is about how, well, how people trick us, basically,
yeah.
Using our own human nature against us.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, we hear so much about data breaches and vulnerabilities and systems,
but, you know, so many times the weakest link is actually,
that's the humans.
Social engineering praise on our trust, fears,
even just our desire to be helpful sometimes.
Right.
And, you know, I think before we jump into all the details of how these attacks
actually work, yeah.
Can you just give us like a quick definition of what social engineering is?
Yeah, I think of it like this, the art of manipulation, but online.
It's using deception and trickery to get into systems, information,
or even physical places without permission.
Yeah.
The main difference from typical hacking, though,
is that it depends on human interaction.
Like it really exploits those psychological vulnerabilities we all have.
Got it.
So instead of breaking through like firewalls and stuff,
it's more about tricking people into just kind of
letting you in.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So instead of forcing their way into a system,
social engineers use psychology to basically
get someone to give them the keys to the kingdom without even knowing it.
Wow.
And, you know, we have 14 different tactics outlined in our source material.
It's a lot.
Yeah.
It's amazing to see all the different techniques they use.
Right.
Some of them, I think, a lot of people have heard of like,
fishing.
Everyone's got net email that says their bacon counts been messed with, right?
Oh, yeah.
Fishing is definitely a classic.
It plays on that fear that we're going to lose something important.
You know,
the urgency makes us want to click a link without even thinking,
which is exactly what they want us to do.
Yeah.
And they're even getting more clever, too,
like with spear fishing, where they'll target a certain person,
right?
With really specific messages.
Yes, spear fishing.
It's like they've done all this research on you.
It has.
So the email seems totally real.
It's not just email either, right?
There's fishing, too, where they use phone calls.
That's right.
It could be someone pretending to be from like your bank or even text support.
And they sound so real.
Oh, yeah.
That you just end up giving them your login information or even financial details
without realizing.
You're wailing.
Yeah.
That sounds kind of scary.
Well, it's like spear fishing, but bigger.
Instead of going after just anyone,
they go for the big fish.
You know, the CEO is executive.
People with a lot of access.
Right.
The stakes are much higher.
So they'll put more effort into making the scam look real.
Wow.
So we've talked about some of the common tactics.
But the source material also has these really like obscure ones.
Oh, yeah.
Dumbster diving.
Oh, garbage could be so valuable.
You'd be surprised what people just throw away.
Old documents, hard drives, even little pieces of paper.
It can all have information that someone could use.
Right.
It reminds us that security isn't just about digital stuff, but physical stuff, too.
It's like in those spy movies where they go through people's trash to get secrets.
And then there's tailgating, which sounds like something you do at a football game, not a, you
know, corporate building.
It does.
But in this case, it's about taking advantage of people being polite.
Like an attacker will just follow closely behind someone who has access to a building,
slipping past security.
Without anyone noticing, it plays on our wanting to hold the door for others.
And it shows how important it is to be careful even in normal situations.
Could pro quo also caught my attention.
It's kind of like a shady deal, isn't it?
Yeah, I think if it like this, someone calls you, says it from tech support, and they
offer it to fix your computer.
But they want remote access or your login details in return.
Oh, wow.
They're playing on your desire to get things fixed quickly.
Right.
But they're really taking control of your system.
Then there's the classic honey trap.
I always think of those from spy movies.
Yeah, me too.
But I guess they happen in the digital world, too.
Absolutely.
Attackers make fake profiles online, usually using attractive photos and being super charming,
get close to their targets.
Once they've built that trust, they can start asking for private information, or even
get the victim to do things they wouldn't normally do.
Well, looks they're playing the long game, which makes it even harder to spot.
It's not just about tricking people either.
The source also talks about farming.
Sounds like something you do on a farm, right?
Not exactly.
Farming is all about sending you to fake websites without you realizing it.
Oh.
They can change links.
So even if the address in your browser looks good, you could end up on a
site meant to steal your info.
It's like a road sign leading you right into a trap.
So even if I'm careful about what I click, I could still end up in the wrong place.
That's scary.
And then there's rogue security software.
That one seems especially sneaky.
Right.
It's like the opposite of what it should be.
Imagine a pop-up saying your computer has a virus, and you need to download the software
to fix it.
But the software actually gives you malware instead of protecting you.
Oh, wow.
It's a phrase on our need to keep our devices safe, which makes it extra tricky.
Kind of crazy, right?
All the different ways they can trick us.
Yeah.
Makes you wonder, why does this work so well?
Right.
Looking back, it seems so obvious sometimes.
Why do we fall for these things?
Yes, it just has not paying attention.
Or is there something deeper going on?
I think it's got to be more than just not paying attention.
It definitely is social engineering works because it uses our basic instincts and those biases
we have like pre-texting.
Oh yeah.
It totally prays on our trust in authority figures.
You mean like how if someone's wearing uniform or more likely to believe them?
Exactly.
We're kind of programmed to trust authority, and that makes us vulnerable.
There is this famous psychology experiment, the Millgram experiment.
No, yeah, I've heard of that.
It showed this perfectly.
It's the one where people were told to give electric shocks to someone else.
Right.
They actually did it, even though they thought they were hurting the person.
Wow.
The person in charge told them to.
I remember that it's crazy how strong authority can be.
Right.
Even when it goes against what we think is right, and that's what social engineers use.
They pretend to be someone important.
Whether it's tech support, the government, or even your boss.
That makes sense.
Then there's scareware.
Oh yes, scareware.
Plays on well being scared.
Exactly.
Like those pop-ups that say your computer is infected.
Oh yeah.
They make you panic.
Right.
And when we're panicking, we don't think clearly.
It's like those home security ads that show someone breaking in.
Right.
They try to scare you into buying their stuff.
Yeah, exactly.
And then baiting.
That one gets our curiosity.
Right.
Yeah.
That desire for something free.
Like finding a USB drive that says confidential.
Oh yeah.
You know someone's going to pick that up.
Or those emails promising you exclusive stuff.
Or a chance to win something, it makes us ignore the warning signs.
Right.
So social engineering basically uses our weaknesses.
It does.
Our instincts and our biases.
Yep.
It's like they're hacking our minds, not just our computers.
That's a good way to put it.
But you know, now that we know this stuff, we can actually protect ourselves better.
Exactly.
So what are some things we can do to be less vulnerable to these attacks?
The most important thing I think is to check everything.
Don't just believe things, even if it seems like it's from someone you trust.
So like if my bank emails me asking for my account info, I shouldn't just click the link
and give it to them.
No, go directly to your bank's website.
Okay.
We're called them to be sure.
Right.
Same thing for phone calls.
Anything that seems off.
Makes sense.
What about passwords?
Oh, passwords.
Everyone says to make them strong, but it's hard to remember them all.
I know it is, but it's really important.
Okay.
Use a different one for each account and mix letters, numbers and symbols.
Got it.
You could also use a password manager.
A password manager.
What's that?
It's like a safe for all your passwords.
Okay.
It keeps them all encrypted.
So you only need to remember one main password to get to them.
It actually sounds really helpful.
It is.
And I keep hearing about multi-factor authentication so that we're using that.
Absolutely.
It's one of the best ways to keep your account safe.
Okay.
So how to go work?
It adds another layer of security.
You have to give two or more things to log in.
So even if someone gets my password, they still can't get into my account.
Exactly.
They also need your phone or email for that second step.
That's good to know.
What about those pop ups that say my computer's infected?
Should I trust those?
Be careful with those.
Real security software usually runs in the background.
Right.
It doesn't use scary pop ups.
Okay.
If you're worried, run a scan with your own antivirus or call a trusted
tech support place.
So don't just download whatever the pop up says.
Right.
And speaking of downloads.
Yeah.
Be careful what you download online.
Okay.
Stick to sites.
Yeah.
And don't click links or open attachments from people you don't know.
So it sounds like a lot of this is just being careful in using common sense.
It is.
But it's also about learning.
Okay.
The more we understand about social engineering, the better we can avoid it.
So it's not just our own responsibility.
Right.
Other stay safe, too.
Exactly.
We need to create a culture of security everywhere.
That's a great point.
Are there any resources you'd recommend like for people who want to learn more about
all this and how to stay safe online?
Oh, definitely.
The cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency, CISA, has a great website.
Okay.
CISA.gov.
Got it.
They have tons of info on social engineering and other online threats.
Awesome.
Hulling to that in the show notes.
Perfect.
And of course, they're always podcasts.
It's the hours that deep dive where we go deep on cybersecurity.
It's amazing how much we've covered already.
I know, right?
And we haven't even touched on everything.
It really shows how big of a problem this is.
But the main thing to remember is this, knowing more helps keep us safe.
The more we understand these tricks, the better we can protect ourselves.
It's like we're building our defenses bit by bit.
Exactly.
And by sharing what we know, we can help others build theirs, too.
It's all about working together to stay safe in this digital world.
Well said.
We've talked about the problem, the different tactics, and even some solutions.
Yeah, but this is an ongoing conversation.
What do you mean by that?
As technology changes, so we'll social engineering.
There will always be new threats.
We need to be ready for that.
So it's not just about knowing what we know now.
It's about staying informed for whatever comes next.
Exactly.
We need to be careful and think critically.
So we can navigate this digital world confidently and safely.
That's a really good point.
I think that's a perfect place to end our deep dive into the world of social engineering.
Yeah.
Great discussion.
Thanks for listening everyone.
Until next time, stay safe out there.
We've covered so much from fishing to honey traps.
It's a lot.
It really is.
Yeah.
And it seems like these attackers are always coming up with new tricks.
Oh, absolutely.
But the good thing is, so are we.
The more we learn about this stuff, the better we can spot it.
Right.
And it's exactly.
But it's a tough balance, isn't it?
We want to be careful.
But we don't want to get so paranoid that we don't trust anyone.
Yeah, that's a good point.
It's about finding that middle ground, being skeptical, but still keeping some trust.
Yeah.
We don't want to be afraid all the time.
But we also got to be real about the dangers out there.
So how do we do that?
Yeah.
How do we stay aware without being suspicious of everything?
That's the big question, right?
It is.
It starts with understanding that we're all human.
We all make mistakes.
No one's perfect.
So even if we fall for a scam, it's okay.
Of course, we all learn as we go.
The important thing is to learn from it and then tell others so they don't make the same
mistake.
It's like, oh, fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Exactly.
We can all help each other stay safe by learning more, questioning things online, and not
being afraid to ask for help.
That's a great point.
We need to work together to make the internet safer for everyone.
Absolutely.
Thanks for joining us for this deep dive and social engineering.
It was a fascinating discussion.
I agree.
Until next time, everyone, stay safe out there.