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CASE FILE 001: SOCIAL ENGINEERING

CASE FILE 001: SOCIAL ENGINEERING

Psychological Exploitation in Cybersecurity

Presented by: David Kenon

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WHAT IS SOCIAL ENGINEERING?

WHAT IS SOCIAL ENGINEERING?

Social engineering manipulates human behavior to extract information,

access, or trust. It bypasses technology by exploiting emotion.

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WHY IT WORKS – HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY

WHY IT WORKS – HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY

• Authority: Trust in power

• Urgency: Forced speed

• Fear: Emotional override

• Curiosity: Impulsive clicking

• Social Pressure: Desire to help

• Fatigue: Lower awareness

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COMMON ATTACK TYPES

COMMON ATTACK TYPES

• Phishing – fake emails

• Vishing – scam calls

• Pretexting – identity scams

• Tailgating – unauthorized entry

• Smishing – SMS scams

• BEC – executive impersonation

• Spear Phishing – targeted attacks

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MODERN SOCIAL ENGINEERING

MODERN SOCIAL ENGINEERING

• Deepfake voice impersonation

• AI-driven fake identities

• Social media profiling

• Fraudulent job listings

• Romance manipulation

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DEFENSE STRATEGIES

DEFENSE STRATEGIES

• Verify identity ALWAYS

• Slow response = safer decisions

• MFA everywhere

• Ongoing training

• Report suspicious behavior

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WHY IT MATTERS

WHY IT MATTERS

• 80%+ breaches begin with human manipulation

• Emotions are easier to exploit than systems

• Social engineering is high-impact

• Behavioral science = cybersecurity

• Billions lost globally

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REFERENCES

REFERENCES

• Verizon DBIR (2024)

• CISA Social Engineering Guide

• MITRE ATT&CK

• Hadnagy – Human Hacking

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FINAL TAKEAWAY

FINAL TAKEAWAY

“Cybersecurity fails when trust is misplaced.

Human awareness is the ultimate defense.”