What is Social Engineering with example?

Social engineering is a way that tricky people use words and emotions to get other people to do things they normally wouldn’t do. It’s like a form of digital manipulation where someone might pretend to be a friend or a trustworthy source to make you share personal information or do something you shouldn’t

Imagine you receive an email that seems to be from your bank, urgently warning you that your account is at risk. The email claims there’s been suspicious activity, and you need to click a link to secure your account. Feeling worried, you click the link and unknowingly enter your login details.

What just happened is a form of social engineering called phishing. The attacker played on your emotions, making you anxious about your account’s safety. The urgent tone and the seemingly legitimate email fooled you into providing your sensitive information. It’s like a digital con artist manipulating your feelings to get what they want – in this case, access to your account.

The takeaway is to always be cautious about unexpected emails and messages, especially those asking for personal information. Just as you wouldn’t hand over your house keys to a stranger, be careful about handing over your digital keys online.