Summary

In this chapter, we learned the art of manipulation and how attackers leverage a number of techniques to influence the actions of the victims. We also reviewed the most common profiles targeted by attackers using social engineering.

Then, we moved to a deep dive into the actual tactics and principles used by attackers to influence the victims during a social engineering attack, which included key topics such as scarcity, liking, social proof, and others.

Additionally, we explained what developing rapport means and why this is relevant during a social engineering attack. After that, we moved to a new section in which we explained how attackers leverage people’s empathy to manipulate the victims to bypass some security processes.

We then closed an amazing chapter by reviewing how we can also leverage those principles to support our cybersecurity strategy.

Now, get ready because, in the next chapter, we will acquire a deeper understanding of social engineering by reviewing the different types of social engineering attacks.