Social engineering vs. DLP Systems: how to protect your company from Data Breaches

Understanding social engineering

What is social engineering? First, let's look at the term in more detail. 

This is a manipulation and pressure technique used by cybercriminals to deceive employees of companies in order to obtain confidential information used in further attacks on the enterprise. Most commonly, attempts are made to obtain logins and passwords for authorisation in corporate systems. Unlike traditional hacking, which is based on technical vulnerabilities, social engineering exploits human psychology, or more precisely, human vulnerability to pressure, manipulation, mental adjustments and other tools.

We suggest looking at social engineering tactics.

Phishing. These are fraudulent emails or messages impersonating other users to steal credentials or install malware.

Pretexting. This is strategy for pressurising the victim using false scenario that forces the necessary actions to be taken to implement enterprise security.

Buying. Scheme to exert psychological pressure by scripting a tempting, free, unique offer that is only available to the victim. This is usually free software that ends up being malicious.

Opportunistic entry. This is a method of physically penetrating an enterprise's security loop where a fraudster uses conversation to tailgate into a restricted area behind an authorised employee.

Vishing. This is the pressure on employees of business using phone calls, where during the conversation the disclosure of confidential data is provoked.

Smishing. Sending fraudulent text messages to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.

Comprehensive approach to defence is required, including increased threat awareness among employees, regular training, attack modelling and development of strict security procedures. It is important to implement policies for multi-factor authentication, privilege minimisation and access control, as well as periodic testing for resistance to social engineering techniques such as phishing attacks and manipulative techniques. 

In addition to technical and educational measures, it is possible to significantly reduce the probability of successful social engineering attacks with the help of software packages —  DLP-systems (Data Leak Prevention). This is one of the few software solutions that actually stops the spread of information outside the enterprise.

The role of DLP systems in the fight against social engineering attacks

DLP systems are designed to prevent unauthorised access, transmission or leakage of confidential company data. It is an effective tool if an enterprise wants to preserve confidential information and reduce the risks of its dissemination under various scenarios. Most of the tactics of fraudsters that will lead to an attempt to distribute confidential information will be stopped by the DLP system.

Why is the Data Leak Prevention tool relevant for use in the fight against social engineering?

1. Adaptability. The security policies of DLP systems are tailored to the uniqueness of each company. This means that the security needs that are relevant to a particular business will be covered.
2. Risk prevention. DLP systems act as an effective tool to prevent risks of dissemination of company information, including if the threat is caused by external pressure and manipulation.
3. Social scanning. By monitoring employee web activity using DLP systems, enterprise security professionals can react to frequent contacts with individuals outside security loop, including fraudsters using manipulation tools to gain access or sensitive data.
4. Team sentiment. Some DLP security policies can detect negative team sentiment, especially if that sentiment is fuelled through psychological tricks and pressure.
5. Morphological analysis. The system analyses all defined words and word forms of information that passes through the corporate network. This means that the using of unique words, abbreviations, synonyms, and specific vocabulary typical of colloquial speech will not help fraudsters bypass security policies and trick the system.
6. Audio and video messages. The system analyses not only text, but also audio and video messages, which reduces the risks of using these communication channels.

You can learn more about the functionality of modern DLP systems on the example of Anexet Inventory on the website.

While DLP solutions provide strong protection against internal and external data breaches, they are not always effective against social engineering attacks. If an employee hands over credentials to an attacker, the DLP system may not be able to prevent unauthorised access.

How to protect your company from data breaches: comprehensive protection

As we mentioned above, in the fight against social engineering, it is important to ensure comprehensive information protection, security measures that combine technical solutions with measures focused on preventing incidents due to human error. Let's take a closer look at measures other than DLP systems that help reduce the risks of information leakage.

Employee training and awareness-raising on the risks of disseminating information online

It is important that employees understand the threats that exist in online space and that they can be both a victim and a source of malware. The main ways to educate employees are:

• professional trainings and seminars on recognising and countering attacks on company information;
• retraining and professional development of employees, especially those responsible for Information Security;
• mentoring, both by transferring experience between employees and using expertise of visiting cybersecurity experts;
• knowledge testing and remediation of gaps based on test results, and other methods.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

What is multi-factor authentication? It is a special solution that provides several stages of verifying the legitimacy of actions, which significantly reduces the risk of unauthorised access, even if credentials have been compromised. It can be implemented via email confirmation, SMS, PIN code entry, etc.

Access control and application of the Zero Trust security model

The need for enterprise access control should be categorised into two types: physical entry control and media access control. Fraudsters using social engineering as excuse to enter the enterprise can use either of these two types of entry control.

The Zero Trust model is practice of minimising access to sensitive information for users through equal treatment of each access request and empowerment according to corporate role and responsibilities.

Modelling phishing attacks

Internal phishing tests are recommended to check the relevance of employees' knowledge of enterprise Information Security. This helps identify employees susceptible to attacks who have gaps in their understanding of Corporate Security and further strengthen their awareness.

Optimising the use of DLP systems

In addition to installing and activating information leakage prevention software (DLP systems), it is necessary to regularly improve and update security policy settings in accordance with the current enterprise agenda. This increases the effectiveness of the applied policies in detecting data breaches. It will also be beneficial to implement automated responses to threats, which can enhance defences. This includes real-time notification of responsible employees about incidents via mail or messengers, response system in the form of blocking file transfers and other features.

Incident response plan

Every business should have clear, defined plan of action in the event of a data breach. This allows you to respond quickly to incidents and minimise potential damage from their occurrence. Employees should know who to contact in such a situation and what steps to take if a leak is suspected.

Behavioural analysis and anomaly detection

Where possible, enterprises are encouraged to use AI algorithms to analyse employee behaviour. This measure helps identify suspicious activity, such as unauthorised access attempts or deviations from normal employee work behaviour.

Secure communication channels

Encrypted messaging platforms and VPNs are also recommended to protect internal corporate communications from man-in-the-middle attacks.

Basic security rules for employees to avoid becoming a victim of social engineering attacks

Employees must:

• be cautious when receiving unexpected emails or requests for sensitive data;

• authenticate requests through official channels before transmitting information;

• report suspicious activity to IT Security;

• understand the different forms of social engineering attacks and how to counter them.