The human OS: Overdue for a social engineering patch
It sounds like the operating system that really needs some serious security patches is the human one.
It sounds like the operating system that really needs some serious security patches is the human one.
Social engineering, the act of tricking people into giving up sensitive information, is nothing new. Convicted hacker Kevin Mitnick made a name for himself by cold-calling staffers at major U.S. companies and talking them into giving him information. But today's criminals are having a heyday using e-mail and social networks. A well-written phishing message or virus-laden spam campaign is a cheap, effective way for criminals to get the data they need.
The perpetual proliferation of botnets is hardly surprising when one considers just how easy it is for the bad guys to hijack computers without tipping off the users.<br/>