The Art of Social Engineering: Mastering Psychological Exploits in Cybersecurity
The Art of Social Engineering: Mastering Psychological Exploits in Cybersecurity A Professional Hacker's Perspective on the Dark Side of Human Manipulation Introduction: The Power of Human Hacking Social engineering isn’t just a tactic—it’s the foundation of most high-profile cyberattacks. Unlike brute-force hacking or vulnerability exploitation, social engineering attacks focus on the weakest link: humans . Even the most secure networks can be breached if an attacker manipulates an employee into clicking a malicious link, sharing credentials, or granting unauthorized access. From classic email phishing scams to advanced AI-driven voice cloning, modern social engineering techniques are sophisticated, scalable, and shockingly effective . In this deep dive, we will explore the psychology behind social engineering, different types of attacks, real-world case studies, and the top tools used by attackers and defenders alike. 1. The Psychology of Social Engineering Before diving...