You have been tasked to analyze and assess the security of your organization. Throughout this course, the assignments will have you review and analyze the process that hackers use to methodically break into an information system. You will learn and understand the steps that they undertake and repeat many of them to assess how well security is implemented in your organization.

Note: It must be stated early and often, many of the tools and techniques described in the class and assignments are illegal without proper authority and authorization. Ensure that you only perform them on information systems in which you have explicit approval and permission.

Social engineering plays a big part in a hacker’s methodology. Whether it is to find organizational information, gain unauthorized access, or guess at passwords, hackers utilize social engineering as a low-tech method for finding information. Complete the following:

• Describe what social engineering is and how your organization may be susceptible to its effects.
• How can organizations protect themselves from a social engineering attack?
• Give 2 examples of social engineering attacks that you have seen or been subject to.