Social Engineering – GW Information Security Blog

Social engineering - the art of exploiting human psychology, rather than technical hacking techniques, to gain access to buildings, systems, or data.

Cyber attackers manipulate victims (targets) into making poor choices that enables direct and indirect criminal activity

Social Engineering attacks are conducted using various methods. The general process involves an attacker sending messages or otherwise contacting potential victims. Once the attacker has established contact, either directly with a victim responding or indirectly when a victim clicks a link or downloads an attachment, they steal user information such as account credentials, personal information, and funds. In some cases the attacker installs malware on the victims device to steal data as well as use the device to launch attacks against others.

Phishing

Phishing is a very simple and useful tool in an attacker’s arsenal. Phishing can lead to the exposure of sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, PII (personally identifiable information), and credit card information. So what is Phishing? It is at method used to obtain sensitive information from a victim that leverages social engineering and communications technologies that people use every day. There are various methods of phishing, with the most common being email, vishing (voice phishing), and smshing (text phishing). These methods can be blanket attempts that rely on quantity instead of quality (often called campaigns) or they can be very carefully crafted attacks with very specific targets (spear phishing and whaling). Luckily, identifying and defeating these attacks can be simple if you know what to look out for.

Email Phishing

Email is the hacker’s go-to for most phishing attacks; people wouldn’t think twice about receiving an email. Often phishing emails will contain a malicious link, a malware attachment, or directly ask for sensitive information. In order to trick victims, these emails are crafted to appear from a big company, such as FedEx, Apple, or even from inside your own organization. Attackers use look-a-like or spoof emails to convince the target the email is legitimate. This can lead to compromised systems and/or exposed personal information, which can lead to further exposure of friends, family, and the victim’s organization.

Defeating Email Phishing:

Is the company logo/banner/design slightly off?
Would this person/company normally be sending you an email?
Should they already have the information they are asking for?
Never open unsolicited attachments
Legitimate Companies should never ask sensitive information through email
Use other methods to confirm the communication

Vishing

Voice phishing is growing in popularity and just like other types of phishing, vishing can be automated making it a dangerous tool. Attack examples include an “FBI” automated message, “IRS” tax refund/payment notification, or as a call from your local home improvement company. When attackers get on the line with their target they present a well thought out and engaging backstory to hook their victims. Impersonation is used in most vishing calls; attackers will impersonate IT staff, management in your company, and HR to appear official.

Defeating Vishing:

Ask the caller to provide information only you and they would know to ensure the caller’s identity
Never give sensitive information over the phone
If the call is suspicious, contact someone close to the individual, or through other means
Offer to call the individual back at the number in your staff/corporate directory, or at the number listed on the legitimate website

Smishing

Smishing sends texts to the targets phone in hopes of them clicking a malicious link, downloading malware, or returning sensitive information. Texts follow email phishing outlines and can be identified similarly. Many victims fall for smishing because they are unaware of the tactic and more trusting of texts. Don’t trust it more just because it’s a text message.

Defeating Smshing

Never provide sensitive information over text message
Would this person/company normally be sending you a text or make direct requests?
Use alternative methods to confirm the communication is actually from the real person.
Avoid following random links
If you are unsure, reach out to your security team, or the communicating company
Do not call the number that texted you

Spear-phishing, Whaling & Campaigns

Most individuals come into contact with phishing campaigns. The goal of campaigns are to reach as many people as possible and hope for a hit. Whereas, spear phishing and whaling are techniques aimed at selected groups of individuals and executives. These are well planned, crafted, and executed, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. They aim to compromise victims with privileged access to systems, accounts, and resources. Victims typically don’t have the time to review these carefully crafted emails highly specific to the target and fall for the trap.

Defeating Spear-phishing and Whaling

Report suspicious emails looking for information to security
Verify communication with the contact through other methods
Attackers often impersonate colleagues, friends, and family
Always assume you’re a target
Opt for face to face meetings for confirmation of requests when possible (online or in person)

Pretexting

Pretexting is a more focused form of social engineering where attackers use detailed and convincing backstories to gain access to systems or information. This method often involves impersonating someone in a position of authority or a trusted entity to manipulate victims.

Defeating Pretexting:

Avoid forwarding requests to subordinates and others asking them to 'take care of this' as this may convey legitimacy to the fraudulent request.
Confirm any backstory by contacting the relevant person or office directly.
Be suspicious of anyone asking for credentials, financial information, or access to systems.
Verify the legitimacy of requests, whether they involve money transfers, accessing login portals, or providing sensitive information.
Would this person/company normally be sending you a text or making direct requests?
Use alternative methods to confirm the communication is actually from the real person.

For more information [external link to Crowdstrike.com content]

This post is presented by the GW IT Cybersecurity Risk and Assurance team.

#CyberSecureGW is a shared responsibility, so if you see something, say something. Report suspicious digital activities, including phishing emails, to abuse[@]gwu.edu.

IT Support Questions? For IT support, please contact the Information Technology Support Center at 202-994-GWIT (4948), ithelp@gwu.edu, or visit ithelp.gwu.edu.

Phishing -- one of the oldest pain points in cybersecurity. Also known as pre-texting, phishing continues to wreak havoc quietly and is as significant a threat as ever.

Despite often being overlooked, phishing has been a mainstay in the cybersecurity threat landscape for decades. In fact, 44 percent of cyberattacks in 2024 featured phishing or pre-texting, while 85 percent of US organizations experienced a successful phishing attack last year alone. That means that phishing is one of the most dangerous “action varieties” to an organization’s cybersecurity health. As a result, the need for proper anti-phishing hygiene and best practices is an absolute must.

With that in mind, here are a few quick best practices and tips to help you recognize and deal with phishing threats.

Know the Red Flags: Emails

Phishers are masters of making their content and interactions appealing. From content design, layout to language, it can be difficult to discern whether the content is genuine or a potential threat, which is why it is so important to know the red flags.

Awkward and unusual formatting
Overly explicit call-outs to click a hyperlink or open an attachment
Strange requests concerning an account, system, or application changes with no prior awareness
Requests for personally identifiable information or your login and password
Subject lines that create a sense of urgency

These are all hallmarks that the content you received could potentially be a phishing attempt and indicate that it should be handled with caution. Most organizations will communicate multiple times and well in advance of any application transitions, and they will provide websites and other supporting materials and contact information for more details.

All suspicious emails can be sent to GW IT Security at abuse@gwu.edu, and questions about the content or requests in an email can be verified with the GW IT Support Center at 202-994-4948.

Verify the Source

Phishing can occur in a variety of ways. In addition to email, phishers ply their craft through phone calls, text messages, sometimes regular mail. Often, phishers will try to impersonate someone you may already know -- such as a colleague, service provider, relative, or friend to trick you into believing their message is trustworthy.

Don’t fall for it. If you sense that something about an email, phone call, or text message may be out of place or unusual, try to confirm whether the content is authentic and safe. If not, immediately break off communication and flag the incident through the proper channels (at GW, this is forwarding the message to abuse@gwu.edu).

Vishing and Other Phishing Offshoots

Greater awareness about phishing has spawned more diverse phishing efforts beyond traditional email scams.Phishers have adapted, expanding their techniques to target unsuspecting individuals through different mediums.

Voice Phishing (Vishing): With the increase of advanced technologies, vishing or voice phishing is the most popular modality for hackers. Cybercriminals pretend to be the part of organizations such as healthcare providers or insurance companies in order to extort information.

Protecting Yourself from Vishing: Like most other social engineering attacks such as email phishing, vishing also lies solely on deception. Any message that seeks to ask you questions that you feel might compromise your personal details whether its email, telephone call or a chat you should disengage from the conversation immediately.