People are complicated creatures with awareness, feelings, and the ability to act in light of considerations. In the steadily advancing domain of network protection, people consistently remain essential focuses for aggressors. Throughout the long term, these assailants have fostered their ability in taking advantage of different human characteristics, improving their abilities to control predispositions and close to home triggers with the goal of impacting human behavior, whether it be private or authoritative security.
Something other than a 'human factor'
Understanding what characterizes our humankind, perceiving how our characteristics can be seen as weaknesses, and grasping how our brains can be focused on give the establishment for distinguishing and answering when we definitely become the objective.
The human brain is a perplexing scene that developed over long periods of openness to the indigenous habitat, collaborations with others, and illustrations drawn from previous encounters. As people, our psyches put us aside, set apart by a large number of qualities and feelings, frequently excessively muddled to unequivocally interpret.
Human behavior is complex
A portion of our basic characteristics can be framed as follows:
Trust: People place their confidence in others, expecting intrinsic goodness.
Sympathy: People show care for other people and their sentiments.
Self image: People harbor a serious soul, seeking to eclipse their peers.
Culpability: People experience regret for their activities, particularly when they hurt others.
Eagerness: People want assets and may capitulate to impulsivity.
Earnestness: People answer quickly to circumstances requesting prompt consideration.
Weakness: People frequently wrestle with dread and are authentic about their feelings.
While this rundown isn't comprehensive, it summarizes common and justifiable aspects that drive human behavior. Human interactions hold fundamental worth, imparting existence with meaning and advancing social standards. Be that as it may, for aggressors looking to take advantage of us, the social construct of human-to-human interactions provides a pathway to control.
Our naturally friendly nature compels us to return to these characteristics. Emotions act as a security net for communication, problem-solving, and connections in our daily existence, and we have come to trust our personal responses to further guide and protect us in different circumstances.
I think, therefore I can be manipulated
Aggressors exploit this safety net (emotions and fundamental attributes) while targeting individuals, as fulfilling their goals can be manipulated. This safety net weakens even more when we venture into the "online" domain, as certain safeguards fail due to a lack of in-person understanding. The abstraction of communication through a name on a screen often deceives our brains in interpreting situations in a way that our emotions cannot accurately navigate.
In the realm of manipulation, various models and techniques have been used over centuries to influence human behavior. In the current context, aggressors exploit these models to identify human vulnerabilities, characterized as weaknesses within the system that can be exploited.
In addition to directly manipulating fundamental attributes through carefully targeted attacks, aggressors often target individuals through forms of influence and persuasion. These can be summarized as follows, and individuals will usually operate mentally in these domains:
Scarcity: People desire things that are less attainable.
Commitment and Consistency: People favor routine and structure.
Liking: People form deep connections.
Social Proof: People seek validation and praise.
These aspects can be perceived as potential vulnerabilities in the human mind when combined with emotions and fundamental characteristics. Aggressors leverage these aspects to manipulate our actions, an occurrence now recognized as social engineering. Social engineering encompasses various techniques and tactics, but at its core, it exploits one or more of the domains mentioned above through carefully crafted interactions.
Deception techniques, often seen in digital channels like email, calls, or text messages, are frequently used for phishing. These tactics manipulate laid-out interactions to achieve various objectives, such as deceiving individuals into parting with funds, opening malicious files, submitting credentials, or revealing sensitive information. The consequences of these attacks can range from personal losses to organizational breaches.
Guarding ourselves:
To defend against these attacks on our minds, we should align our mental guidelines to personal triggers by asking questions like:
What is the purpose, assumption, and legitimacy of the communication? These questions could prevent impulsive reactions and allow for reflection. Establishing a "pause and review" mindset acts as a mental firewall, strengthened by vigilance, to enhance personal and organizational security.
By acknowledging potential attacks, we heighten our awareness of vulnerabilities and work on resilience. This awareness, coupled with a proactive approach, mitigates risks to our minds and humanity, fostering collaboration to disarm attackers and discourage their operations."
Cyber Security is not a Joke.... Don't Let Anyone Hurt You!
Source: thehackernews.com | Ulrich Swart