Many phishing attacks ask for a user to provide private information in order to avoid a negative consequence, such as instructing a user to log into her bank account to verify that her information has not been not compromised. But cyberattacks involving baiting usually include the promise of some kind of reward if a certain action is performed.

CEO fraud also known as business email compromise is a version of spear-phishing that involves a hacker impersonating a senior executive within an organization’s hierarchy in order to convince another high-level employee to perform a given action or provide certain information.

Honeytrapping is a tool a hacker uses to prey on those looking to find a relationship. Although it plays out on a different front than other attempts at social engineering, the scam is the same.

Phishing is one of the most common types of social engineering and a relatively unsophisticated form of cyberattack. Phishing attacks, often carried out through email, involve hackers impersonating legitimate individuals or organizations, such as banking institutions or governmental agencies.

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.

Quid pro quo is a Latin phrase meaning something for something. In the world of cybersafety, a quid pro quo attack is similar to baiting in that it involves a hacker offering the user something in exchange for something from the user, such as login credentials.

Smishing is a form of phishing that uses text messages instead of emails. Although the format is different, the threat is the same. Within text messages, hackers include links that they urge users to follow in order to resolve a situation.

While some cyberattacks are highly technical and committed behind the scenes, others are accomplished using unsophisticated methods right out in the open. These kinds of cyberattacks usually take the form of emails and other types of communication, and in order for them to work, a user has to be convinced to perform some type of action, such as sharing personal information or clicking on a link or attachment.

When a phishing attack is targeted at a specific individual or organization and features attempts to access systems or information related to that specific victim, the attack is known as spear-phishing.

Spoofing is a tool hackers use in various kinds of cyberattacks to disguise themselves and to appear as though they are legitimate.

Tailgating––also known as piggybacking––involves an unauthorized person physically following an authorized person into a restricted area within a building.

Vishing is a form of phishing in which the hacker uses voice calls instead of emails to convince potential victims to provide private information.

In whaling attacks, hackers often pose as individuals at a similarly high level in an organization’s hierarchy in order to convince the target to divulge whatever information is being sought.