Contribution to Book
Social Engineering and Its Countermeasures
Handbook of Research on Social and Organizational Liabilities in Information Security
(2009)
Abstract
This chapter introduces and defines social engineering, a recognized threat to the security of information systems. It also introduces a taxonomy for classifying social engineering attacks along four dimensions: who or what the targets are, what media are used, how the attacks fit in an attack cycle, and the techniques used to execute the attacks. Additionally, the chapter discusses current social engineering countermeasures and how to map attack types to these countermeasures. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion of future trends and technologies for defending against social engineering attacks. Use of the taxonomy should help security professionals and researchers understand social engineering attacks, and implementation of the discussed current and future countermeasures should help professionals reduce the risks associated with social engineering attacks.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2009
Editor
Manish Gupta and Raj Sharman
Publisher
IGI Global
ISBN
9781605661322
DOI
10.4018/978-1-60566-132-2.ch014
Citation Information
Douglas P. Twitchell. "Social Engineering and Its Countermeasures" Handbook of Research on Social and Organizational Liabilities in Information Security (2009) p. 228 - 242 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/douglas-twitchell/3/