Certified: The Security+ Prepcast

In this episode, we are diving into one of the most underestimated yet effective categories of cyber threats—social engineering. This is where the attacker targets people rather than technology. Through psychological manipulation, social engineers persuade individuals to give up sensitive information, grant access to restricted systems, or perform actions that compromise security. Understanding how social engineering works, and recognizing its many forms, is essential to building a human-centered layer of cyber defense.
Let’s begin with an overview of social engineering. Social engineering is a strategy that uses deception, influence, and psychological tactics to manipulate individuals into breaking standard security practices. Unlike malware or exploits that attack systems, social engineering attacks target human behavior. These attacks work because they often bypass technical defenses by exploiting trust, urgency, fear, or curiosity.
Attackers may impersonate authority figures, pretend to be technical support, or craft scenarios that cause a sense of urgency—like claiming a user’s account has been locked or that an urgent payment must be made. Victims are then tricked into sharing passwords, clicking malicious links, installing unauthorized software, or transferring funds.
The key to preventing social engineering is user awareness and consistent training. Technology alone cannot stop an employee from clicking on a link in a convincing phishing email. Organizations must foster a culture where users are encouraged to question suspicious requests, verify identities, and report potential threats without fear of blame.
Now let’s look at phishing and its variants. Phishing is one of the most common forms of social engineering. Classic phishing attacks are usually delivered through email and involve messages that appear to come from legitimate sources such as banks, online services, or even coworkers. These emails often contain urgent requests to verify information, reset passwords, or open attachments.
The goal is to trick the recipient into clicking a link that leads to a fake website, entering their credentials, or downloading a malicious file. Once the attacker has access, they may use the credentials to enter internal systems, escalate privileges, or harvest sensitive data.
Phishing emails are designed to create emotional responses—fear, urgency, or curiosity. They might say, “Your account has been locked—click here to reset your password,” or “You’ve received a secure document—log in to view it.” Because these messages often mimic legitimate branding, users may not notice they’re being targeted.
Next, we move to vishing—short for voice phishing. In a vishing attack, the scam takes place over the phone. Attackers often pretend to be from technical support, financial institutions, or even government agencies. They use scripted conversations to manipulate victims into giving up personal information, entering account details, or granting remote access to their systems.
A real-world example involved an attacker calling a small business employee, claiming to be from the company’s I T help desk. The attacker said there was a critical issue on the employee’s computer and asked for remote access to fix it. Believing the call was legitimate, the employee allowed access. Within minutes, the attacker had installed spyware and stolen administrator credentials. The breach went unnoticed for days and required extensive remediation.
Vishing attacks are successful because they use pressure tactics and impersonation. Attackers often spoof phone numbers to make the call look legitimate. They might cite internal terminology or reference recent events to sound credible. Awareness training should include call verification procedures and clear policies about what support teams will and will not ask over the phone.
Smishing is another variant, and it uses text messages instead of voice or email. These messages often pretend to be from banks, shipping companies, or service providers. They might say, “Your package is delayed—click here to reschedule,” or “Suspicious activity detected—verify your account now.” Clicking the link usually leads to a phishing site or downloads a malicious app.
Smishing is especially dangerous because people tend to trust text messages and may not recognize the threat as easily as they would in email. Phones often lack the same level of protection as corporate desktops, and users are more likely to act quickly without verifying the source.
One case involved smishing messages sent to customers of a major mobile carrier. The message claimed there was a billing problem and directed users to a fake login page. Thousands of accounts were compromised before the campaign was detected and stopped.
To prevent smishing, users should be advised never to click links in unsolicited texts or reply with personal information. Security awareness training should include examples of suspicious messages and recommend verifying information directly through official apps or websites.
As you prepare for the Security Plus exam, remember that social engineering relies on human weakness rather than technical flaws. Phishing, vishing, and smishing are all methods used to exploit trust and prompt fast reactions. The exam may present a scenario involving a suspicious message or call and ask you to identify the type of attack and how to respond. Watch for emotional triggers, fake urgency, and impersonation—these are the signs of a social engineering attempt.