Tech Life Hacks

Social engineering - ABCs to avoid

It occurs when an attacker succeeds in manipulating people into breaking routine security procedures to gain access to systems or networks.

New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

Here's a possible scenario: It is your first day back at the office and you are feeling excited after three months of working from home. At the office lift lobby, you see a bunch of people, some your colleagues and many whom you don't know.

You reach your floor and use your office tag to open the office door. Two people who rode in the same lift follow behind you into the office. One, a colleague, turns left with you as you head towards your desk. The other, a stranger you assume is a new employee, takes a right.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 19, 2020, with the headline Social engineering - ABCs to avoid. Subscribe