Social Engineering

It's not always what you know, it's who you know. Whether it is a good deal on a product, a free place to stay on a vacation or the extra edge to beat out competition for a job, knowing the right people helps people get the things they want. This 'knowing the right people' is a form of social engineering. Social engineering is using relationships with people to attain a goal. Unfortunately, when it comes to the security of an organization's data and infrastructure, social engineering can be as bad as 'knowing the right people' can be good. This paper will describe social engineering and some of the common techniques used by social engineers. It will suggest policies, standards and procedures for helping to combat such a threat.