Phishing and Social Engineering: Attack Methods and Defense
Complete Guide to Phishing and Social Engineering: Phishing Taxonomy (mass phishing, spear phishing, whaling, BEC, smishing, vishing, QR code phishing, AiTM), technical attack techniques (domain spoofing, phishing kits), psychological manipulation principles (Cialdini), pretexting, technical protective measures (DMARC, phishing-resistant MFA, email gateway), phishing simulations, training content, and incident response. Includes current AI phishing trends for 2024.
Summary: Manipulating people rather than systems using psychological principles such as authority, urgency, and reciprocity. Tools: phishing (email), vishing (phone), smishing (SMS), pretexting, baiting. Unlike an insider threat, the attacker comes from outside the organization and uses deception to gain access. 91% of all cyberattacks begin with social engineering.
Sources & References
- [1] APWG Phishing Activity Trends Report 2024 - APWG
- [2] BSI Lagebericht zur IT-Sicherheit 2024 - BSI
- [3] Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2024 - Verizon
- [4] Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) Trends Report - APWG
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About the Author
M.Sc. IT-Sicherheit mit über 5 Jahren Erfahrung in offensiver Sicherheitsanalyse. Leitet die Durchführung von Penetrationstests mit Spezialisierung auf Web-Applikationen, Netzwerk-Infrastruktur, Reverse Engineering und Hardware-Sicherheit. Verantwortlich für mehrere Responsible Disclosures.
