Ethical Hacking: Techniques, Tools, and Countermeasures, 4th Edition

Types of Social Engineering Attacks

Social engineering has the same goals and objectives as other types of attacks: to gain unauthorized access, commit identity theft, infiltrate networks, exfiltrate sensitive data, or simply disrupt access to resources or operational functions. Targets of social engineering attacks can include anyone or anything that may have information or a process that the attacker may find valuable.

Some social engineering attacks are referred to as “physical,” meaning that they involve people being physically present and making personal contact—for instance, in a workplace or a public space. In some cases, criminals actually steal a physical object, such as a smartphone, USB drive, or file folder. Other attacks are psychological ...