How do Elderly Citizens become Victims of Social Engineering Attacks?

In recent years, the use of the internet has become prevalent across all the segments of the population, but particularly in the past few years, there has been a rise in cyber fraud, including scams that target elderly citizens.

However, for social engineering attacks, elderly citizens comprise a vulnerable population because their deception sensitivity, cognition lessen with age and confined knowledge about the digital world make them at risk of internet fraud.

How do social engineering attacks take place?

Social engineering attacks happen due to the human instinct of trust and they typically involve some form of psychological manipulation, fooling and handing over confidential or sensitive data.

However, the prevalence of these attacks has increased remarkably during the situation of Covid-19. It is a time when the hackers are taking great benefit because of the dramatic increase of user time online and also the vulnerability of older people.

Cybercriminals have experienced and know that a properly worded email, voicemail, or text message can easily convince older people to provide confidential information, transfer money, or download files that install malware.

Older adults can easily trust the person because of lack of relevant knowledge, feeling of loneliness, and a heightened need for more contact with their loved ones during this time. So, they easily become the victim of these attacks.

Furthermore, many elderly people don’t use passwords either because they are afraid that they will forget them or they don’t realize how to arrange them. But in case if they use, they use delicate passwords such as their names, address or something apparent about their environment. These are the things that hackers can know easily.

Common examples of social engineering attacks

Cybercriminals know how to take advantage of human emotions to steal confidential information. Here are some common examples of these attacks:

• Phishing

Tactics to steal information through deceptive websites, emails, and text messages.

• Baiting

It is a physical and online social engineering attack that guarantees a reward to the victim.

• Pretexting

To deceive the victim into handing over the information by using a false identity.

• Malware

It is a situation in which victim is tricked into accepting that malware is installed on their device. They are told that if they pay some money, then the malware will be removed.

• Water-holing

It is a modern attack that infects both a visitor and a website.

• Vishing

It is a form of attack in which urgent voicemails are sent to victims. The aim is to convince them to act rapidly in order to save themselves from a major risk.

Useful tips to protect elderly citizens from cyber attacks

Here are some tips that will help you to learn how to handle technology carefully.

Never give your credit or debit card information

If you are not confident that an asker can be trusted, never give your private information. Firstly, investigate the source and be safe, especially if you have any confusion about the validity of the requesting site or web page.

• Be cautious about any promotions and offers that otherwise seem too good to be authentic.
• Never try to download any file or click on a link from an unknown sender. It is the best way to type the address of the website directly into a web browser.
• Enrol in technology programs for adults to learn ways of staying safe.
• Try to use strong passwords to protect your devices.

Older adults need to protect themselves from being the victim of social engineering attacks by learning about cybersecurity. They need to learn how to detect common social engineering attack tactics and threats and protect their confidential data.