Social Engineering in Cybersecurity: Threats and Defenses

In today’s digitally interconnected world, the threat landscape has evolved to include not just sophisticated technical exploits but also the art of human manipulation. Social engineering attacks have emerged as a formidable and often underestimated threat to information security. The primary aim of this textbook is to provide a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of social engineering attacks. The book seeks to equip cybersecurity professionals, IT practitioners, students, and anyone concerned with information security with the knowledge and tools needed to recognize, prevent, and mitigate the risks posed by social engineering. The scope of this textbook is broad and multifaceted. It covers a wide range of social engineering attack vectors, including phishing, vishing, pretexting, baiting, tailgating, impersonation, and more. Each attack vector is dissected, with detailed explanations of how they work, real-world examples, and countermeasures.

Thorough exploration of various social engineering attack vectors, including phishing, vishing, pretexting, baiting, quid pro quo, tailgating, impersonation, and more.

In-depth examination of the psychological principles and cognitive biases that underlie social engineering tactics. • Real-World Case Studies: Analysis of real-world examples and high-profile social engineering incidents to illustrate concepts and techniques.

Practical guidance on how to recognize, prevent, and mitigate social engineering attacks, including security best practices.

Discussion of ethical dilemmas and legal aspects related to social engineering that emphasizes responsible use of knowledge.

This comprehensive textbook on social engineering attacks provides a deep and practical exploration of this increasingly prevalent threat in cybersecurity. It covers a wide array of attack vectors, including phishing, vishing, pretexting, and more, offering readers an in-depth understanding of how these attacks work. The book delves into the psychology behind social engineering and examines the cognitive biases and emotional triggers that make individuals susceptible. Real-world case studies illustrate concepts and techniques while practical guidance equips readers with the knowledge to recognize, prevent, and mitigate social engineering threats.

DR. GURURAJ H L (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree in computer science and engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University India in 2019. He has published more than 200 research articles in peer-reviewed and reputed international journals. He has authored 15 Edited books in Springer, IET, IGI Global and Taylor & Francis. He has presented more than 100 papers at various international conferences. He is a Senior Member of ACM. He received a Young Scientist International Travel Support ITS-SERB, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in December 2016. He was a recipient of best paper awards at various national and international conferences. He was appointed as an ACM Distinguish Speaker (2018–2021) by the ACM U.S. Council. He has honoured as Keynote Speaker, Session chair, TPC member, Advisory committee member at International Seminars, Workshops and Conferences across Globe. Prof. Gururaj’s research interests are Applications in Machine and federated Learning, data mining, Blockchain and cyber security.

Dr. Janhavi V received the Ph.D. degree in computer science and engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University India. She is currently working as an Associate Professor in the department of CS&E at Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysuru. She has published many research articles in peer-reviewed and reputed international journals.

Ambika V has completed her M. Tech in Computer Network Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bachelor of Computer Applications at Mysore Institute of Commerce and Arts, Mysuru, Karnataka. She has published various research papers in various reputed international journals and conferences. Her areas of interest include Computer Networks, Cybersecurity, Information security and Cryptography.