How Social Engineering Exploits Human Psychology and How to Defend Against It

Social engineering is a cybersecurity threat that targets people rather than software, using psychological manipulation to get victims to reveal confidential information or take harmful actions. Attackers often gather information about their targets first to make their deceptions more believable. Common tactics include creating false emergencies that pressure victims into acting quickly, and pretexting, where the attacker impersonates a trusted authority such as IT staff or an executive. Physical methods like baiting, for example leaving infected USB drives in workplaces, also exploit curiosity to bypass technical defenses. The article uses concrete workplace scenarios to show how these manipulations operate and how individuals can recognize them.