- Key concept: Social engineering exploits HUMANS, not technical vulnerabilities - always emphasize this!
- Prevention: Training and awareness are the best defences (you can't "patch" humans like software)
- Common mistake: Don't confuse phishing (fake emails) with pharming (redirecting to fake websites)
- Phishing identification: Give SPECIFIC red flags (urgency, generic greeting, suspicious links, spelling errors)
- Spear vs regular phishing: Spear phishing is TARGETED at specific individuals with personalized information
This study notes covers Exam Tips within Social Engineering for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Social Engineering in 3.6 Fundamentals of Cyber Security for GCSE Computer Science with 18 exam-style questions and 17 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 7 of 9 in this topic. Use this study notes to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Social Engineering
What is social engineering in the context of network security?
Explain how a phishing attack works.