The UAE Cyber Safety Council has sounded the alarm on the rising menace of social engineering, warning that the tactic is concerned in practically 98 per cent of cyberattacks.
The warning was issued in the course of the sixth week of the Council’s Cyber Pulse initiative, a year-long marketing campaign designed to strengthen digital literacy and resilience amongst people and establishments.
In contrast to conventional assaults that exploit software program vulnerabilities, social engineering targets human psychology.
UAE cyberattacks
Attackers typically impersonate trusted officers, buddies, or credible organisations to govern victims into disclosing delicate info or taking dangerous actions.
Techniques embody:
- Providing faux rewards
- Impersonating well-known entities
- Sending pressing threats
- Overloading victims with conflicting info
Fraudsters use empathy, urgency or worry to construct false belief and strain people into sharing private or banking particulars, or making rash choices.
The Council urged the general public to:
- Confirm identities earlier than responding to requests
- Keep away from sharing account particulars or passwords
- Deal with sudden messages demanding quick motion with warning
- Monitor official alerts and keep up to date on cybersecurity steering
Now in its second yr, the Cyber Pulse marketing campaign is a part of wider nationwide efforts to strengthen the UAE’s digital ecosystem. The initiative goals to guard customers towards rising cyber dangers, increase resilience, and reinforce belief within the nation’s quickly increasing digital economic system.