22. HOW DOES A HACKER IDENTIFY HIS TARGET?

 

HOW DOES A HACKER IDENTIFY HIS TARGET?
In social engineering, a hacker identifies their target by gathering information about them.
This process is known as the preparation stage.
Here are the steps involved:
Preparation:	At this stage, social engineers gather information about their target. Social media, calls, email, and text messages are all common avenues.
Infiltration:	During the infiltration stage, cybercriminals approach their targets, posing as legitimate sources using the data gathered about the victims to authenticate themselves.
Exploitation:	Here, attackers manipulate the users to reveal sensitive information like credential logins, account details, contact information, payment methods, and more that they can use to execute their attacks.
Disengagement:	At this final stage, the social engineer or cyber actor ceases communication with the victim, carries out the attack, and disappears.
Social engineering is characterized by attackers coercing victims into divulging sensitive information by pretending to be a known person or legitimate entity.
Identity theft through phishing attacks is the most common form of social engineering.
Over 70% of data breaches start with phishing or social engineering attacks

HOW DO HACKERS IDENTIFY POTENTIAL SOCIAL ENGINEERING TARGETS?
Hackers identify potential social engineering targets by profiling individuals based on the information available about them.
Here are some ways they do this:
Social Media:	Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., hold a significant amount of user data, including personal information, browsing history, and activity
AI-driven Data Mining:	By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI can identify potential targets and determine the most effective approach for a social engineering attack.
Phishing Emails or Phone Calls	One of the most common forms of social engineering is phishing, where a hacker attempts to get your employee to click or download a malware-injected attachment to infect a company device.
Public Records:	Hackers may use public records to gather information about a target.
Company Websites:	Company websites often contain valuable information about employees, such as their roles, contact information, and sometimes even details about their background and interests.
Networking Sites:	Professional networking sites like LinkedIn can provide a wealth of information about an individual’s work history and connections.
Forums and Discussion Boards:	Hackers may gather information from posts and comments made by the target on various online forums and discussion boards.
Data Breaches:	Information from past data breaches can be used to gather information about potential targets.
Physical Surveillance:	In some cases, hackers may even resort to physical surveillance to gather information about a target.
Dumpster Diving:	Hackers may go through a target’s trash to find discarded documents or devices that contain valuable information.
Eavesdropping or Shoulder Surfing:	Hackers may listen in on conversations or look over a target’s shoulder to gather information.
Impersonation:	Hackers may pretend to be someone else, such as a coworker or a trusted figure, to gain the target’s trust.
Job Offers:	Hackers may offer the target a job, especially one that seems too good to be true, to get them to reveal information.
Interviews:	Hackers may conduct fake interviews to get the target to reveal information.
Surveys:	Hackers may conduct fake surveys or quizzes to gather information.
It’s important to note that these activities are illegal and unethical.
Always be aware of your surroundings and protect your personal information.