Five AI-fueled social engineering risks to watch

If you hack the right person, namely someone unaware of phishing lures and their telltale signs, you procure the keys to the kingdom, and your illicit intentions pass undetected. — Dreamstime/TNS

Social engineering is arguably one of the most potent and persistent forms of cybercrime. There’s a reason why social engineering is so popular with cybercriminals: Hacking people is a lot simpler than breaching software.

To hack software networks, one needs to understand the target environment and how to pry open weaknesses and uncover loopholes – which requires tech skills and resources. On the other hand, hacking humans simply requires basic knowledge of human nature – our susceptibility to greed, lust, curiosity, and impatience.