Often, the easiest way for an attacker to get information from an organization, or from an individual, is not to hack into the computer systems but simply to trick someone into revealing a password, or persuade them to allow the attacker access into a secure area. This form of attack is called "Social Engineering".
Perhaps the best known form of social engineering is 'phishing' - phony e-mails purporting to be from respectable banks, credit unions or e-commerce companies that try to persuade you to enter sensitive information into a criminal's Web site. Other social engineerng techniques include phony phone calls (also called 'phone phishing') and even old favorites like the 'Advance Fee Fraud' - now commonly known as the Nigeria scam.
In this section will tell you a little about how these attacks happen so you can better prepare yourself to spot them and respond appropriately.
Note that social engineering techniques are often used in identity theft. So please also see our section on 'Avoiding Identity Theft and Fraud'.
Featured Links
Wkipedia - Phishing
A great introduction to the history of phishing, and the techniques that phishers use.
MillerSmiles.co.uk
Extensive archive of phishing e-mails, and scam alerting service.
Some Phishing Quizzes
Use these quizzes to see how much you know about phishing and see if you can recognize phishing attacks.
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Page updated: September 24, 2007
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