Social engineering is the hidden face of digital breakthroughs
Abu Dhabi, September 21 / WAM / The cybersecurity in our time is no longer limited to malicious software or technical gaps, but rather moved to a more complex level that touches the human element directly; The fraudsters resort to what is known as “social engineering” as a major tool for penetrating individuals and institutions alike.
In its latest warning, the Cyber Security Council revealed to the UAE government that about 98% of electronic attacks depend on this method, which is based on exploiting confidence, emotions and instant decisions of the victims instead of attacking the regimes directly, which means that digital attackers are not just programmers sitting behind the screens, but that many of them are professional in manipulating emotions and mastery of persuasion.
The council says to the Emirates News Agency “WAM”: “The fraudsters are mastered by reincarnation of different personalities, from an official employee to a close friend, and they are good at imitating the methods of reliable institutions, taking advantage of confidence or the state of confusion that they deliberate By plagiarizing an official authority. “
He adds: “The fraudsters pursue the methods of pressure and fear by sending false warnings or urgent threats, as well as confusion with information and providing conflicting data to confuse thinking.”
Unlike the stereotype of breakthroughs that depend on complex technical tools, “social engineering” targets the weakest episode in the security system, which is the person itself.
Security experts assert that the victim may participate, under the influence of psychological pressure or urgent need, with his bank account or password number without realizing that he fell into the trap, and here comes the role of awareness and protecting society to confront this challenge, by launching a weekly awareness campaign a weekly awareness within the “cyber pulse” initiative, where the sixth week focused on highlighting the risks of social engineering.
The campaign includes practical instructions such as verifying the identity of people and entities before sharing any information and caution against sudden messages or that require immediate procedures, as well as refraining from sharing personal data via the phone or media and following up the periodic attorneys issued by the competent authorities.
The council warns that the fraudsters may resort to messages that seem friendly or sympathetic, and even sad, sometimes, to push the victim to respond without thinking, pointing to the importance of promoting digital culture in society, and the ongoing vigilance towards any unfamiliar attempt that requires sensitive information.
The reality confirms that the penetration is no longer a complicated programming code, but rather a battle of awareness and behavior, and with the realization that 98% of cyber attacks depend on “social engineering”, the real battle starts from the individual awareness, before any system or wall of protection.
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