What Is Pretexting?

In the every-day world, if a person claims to have a stated reason for doing something when they actually have a separate, hidden reason, that person is creating a pretext. The same is true in the world of cybersafety.

In a cyberattack involving pretexting, the hacker attempts to lure a victim into providing sensitive personal and business information. The hacker––often posing as a work colleague or someone in a position of authority within an organization––attempts to build trust with the user. Pretexting can be particularly effective because it:

• has the air of legitimacy
• does not rely on the hacker to have highly advanced technical skills
• preys on a user’s natural inclinations to want to help another person, especially someone in a position of authority