Exploring Social Engineering Attacks Using Spear Phishing in a Universtiy

Abstract

A thorough investigation of social engineering attacks was performed on the lab environment. Numerous users can be easily attacked through the use of illegitimate emails that may come from trusted users. Organizations often try to implement security measures but they remain susceptible to these attacks. The purpose of this study was to show that university students are at risk of being attacked. The deployment of a dedicated lab environment and the susceptibility of the network to countless social engineering attacks were completely assessed in a controlled lab environment. The targeted audience, students, showed that they were more vulnerable. The findings of these investigations revealed that the network is vulnerable to social engineering attacks, specifically spear phishing attempts. Recommendations were made that included that universities should invest in educating students, staff members, and the faculty at large about certain threats and how to avoid falling prey to them.