© Copyright Our Wall
How can humans be a weak element of cybersecurity?
Allow us to take you through a recent case study for the same—
The Uber Data Breach of 2022
One of the biggest ride-hailing firms worldwide, Uber had a major cybersecurity hack in September 2022.
The episode exposed not only technological shortcomings but also a clear vulnerability in human defenses.
According to reports, the attacker compromised the credentials of an Uber contractor by using a standard social engineering tactic—Phishing. The attacker got the contractor to provide their login information by pretending to be an IT support agent.
This allowed the attacker to compromise private information by gaining access to important internal systems, including Slack, AWS, Jira and internal dashboards, by means of network penetration.
Uber's hack reminds us sharply that, even if companies spend extensively on firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption, the human element usually remains the weak point in cybersecurity.
The Human Factor: Terrifying Cybersecurity Figures
A popular report states that over 98% of cyberattacks rely on social engineering methods that take advantage of human psychology instead of technological weaknesses.
Based on the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), around 50% of breaches in 2023 comprised stolen or compromised credentials.
These figures highlight the important role people play in the ecosystem of cybersecurity and their possible threat to it.
Recognizing Social Engineering: The Best Friend of the Hacker
Social engineering is the manipulation of people to get illegal access to systems or data, hence negating security mechanisms. Social engineering exploits human vulnerabilities including trust, urgency, anxiety, and curiosity unlike conventional hacking techniques that use system weaknesses.
Common Social Engineering Techniques Include:
1. Phishing: False emails or communications meant to fool readers into divulging credentials or personal information.
2. Vishing: Voice phishing, in which attackers impersonate reputable companies using phone calls.
3. Pretexting: Using a created fabricated scenario to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive data.
4. Baiting: Luring victims with promises of free goods or services that call for compromising behavior—like plugging in a USB drive—allows you to bait them.
Why is Social Engineering Effective?
Humans are naturally curious and hopeful. Add to that, staff become a desirable target for attackers when cybersecurity knowledge or training is lacking. Psychological strategies like building urgency (“Your account will be locked!”) or authority (“This is IT support”) intensify the success of these strikes.
Technical Connotations of Human Vulnerability
Human victims of social engineering may suffer disastrous results. Let's review some of the technical factors influenced:
1. Unauthorized Access: Compromised credentials could cause lateral movement inside a network, allowing attackers to access privileged systems and exfiltrate private information.
2. Privilege Escalation: Once inside, attackers often use weak access restrictions to increase privileges, acquiring administrative-level access to important systems.
3. Data Exfiltration: Attackers can slink data out of the network undetectably using encrypted tunnels and compromised endpoints.
4. Malware Deployment: Social engineering often serves as a precursor to deploying ransomware, trojans, or spyware.
Click here to learn more
The Wall