10 Examples of Social Engineering Attacks in the Real World

Social engineering attacks exploit human psychology to manipulate individuals into revealing confidential information. Here are 10 real examples of such attacks and their significant impacts.

1. La violazione dei dati di Target

In 2013, hackers used social engineering to access Target's network, leading to the theft of 40 million credit card numbers.

2. La violazione dei dati di Yahoo

Yahoo ha subito una massiccia violazione dei dati nel 2013, dove sono state impiegate tattiche di ingegneria sociale per ottenere accesso agli account degli utenti.

3. The Google and Facebook scam

Between 2013 and 2015, a Lithuanian man tricked Google and Facebook into transferring over 100 million dollars by impersonating a supplier.

4. The Ubiquiti Networks incident

In 2015, Ubiquiti Networks lost $46.7 million due to a phishing scam that involved social engineering tactics.

5. The IRS tax scam

The scammers used social engineering to impersonate IRS agents, leading to significant financial losses for the victims.

6. L'hack della rete PlayStation di Sony

In 2011, social engineering tactics were used to compromise the PlayStation network, affecting 77 million accounts.

7. The WhatsApp business account scam

I truffatori hanno utilizzato l'ingegneria sociale per dirottare account aziendali, portando a transazioni non autorizzate.

8. The Bitcoin scam on Twitter

In 2020, hackers used social engineering to access Twitter accounts, promoting a Bitcoin scam that defrauded users.

9. La violazione dei dati di Marriott

In 2018, Marriott revealed a data breach that was partially attributed to social engineering attacks.

10. L'attacco ransomware alla Colonial Pipeline

In 2021, a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline was facilitated by social engineering tactics, leading to severe fuel shortages.

FAQ

• Che cos'è l'ingegneria sociale? It is a manipulation technique that exploits human psychology.
• Come posso proteggermi dagli attacchi di ingegneria sociale? Fai attenzione alle comunicazioni non richieste e verifica le identità prima di condividere informazioni.