What is Pretexting? How does Pretexting work? [2025 Updated]

• Rohit
• February 16, 2023
• No Comments

What is Pretexting Definition?

Pretexting is a form of social engineering attack in which the intruder tries to trick the target into divulging confidential information or taking a specific action that will help the attacker. The threat actor fabricates a pretext or false scenario to earn the target’s trust and persuade them to divulge the necessary data or carry out the necessary action.

Moreover, an individual in a position of authority, such as a company CEO, a member of the law enforcement community, or a representative of a customer service or technical support agent, could also be the target. The perpetrator may utilize several strategies to control the victim, including developing rapport, preying on emotions such as anxiety or urgency, or taking advantage of the target’s willingness to assist or appease others.

Moreover, cybercriminals can legitimately use pretexting to gain access to secure locations or computer systems, as well as sensitive data like passwords, financial information, and personal information. Cybercriminals frequently use it to obtain sensitive data or carry out other fraud forms.

How does pretexting work?

Generally, the pretext includes posing as another person or entity, such as a real company, a government body, a research organization, or a financial firm. The intention is to gather sensitive data, including passwords, bank details, Social Security numbers, and other private details. Pretexting is forbidden in the US and the majority of other nations.

Pretexting Techniques

Several methodologies or techniques are genuinely involved in pretexting, where these pretexting techniques are highly curated by a person who is pretending to be a legitimate person for an ethical job, which is quite okay in the eyes of society and law, but the reality is quite different from what it seems!

Here, we have mentioned some of the famous pretexting techniques that are highly employed by anti-social elements:

• Impersonation: To earn the target’s confidence and persuade them to divulge critical information, the adversary may assume the identity of a well-known individual or organization, such as a company CEO, law enforcement official, or customer service representative.
• Tailgating: An unlawful person trailing authorized personnel into a restricted facility without the necessary identification or clearance is known as tailgating.
• Piggybacking: Information technology employs the term “piggybacking” to describe the unlawful utilization of a computer system or network by a person who is not explicitly connected to it. Typically, piggybacking entails joining an already-established communication an authenticated person has made.
• Baiting: As a general rule, baiting is a form of social engineering attack where a target is enticed on something appealing, like a free good or service, to fool them into divulging personal data or carrying out an action that is advantageous to the threat actor.
• Phishing: is the practice of tricking targets into divulging personal details or taking an action that is advantageous to the threat actor by using false emails, texts, or websites.
• Vishing and Smishing: The social engineering attacks known as “vishing” and “smishing,” which rely on calls and text messages to deceive targets into revealing personal information, are two examples of this type of activity. Vishing, often called voice phishing, is a kind of attack in which the threat actor calls the target and attempts to coerce them into disclosing personal details, such as banking information or passwords. Smishing is a sort of attack when SMS texts are used to persuade victims to click on harmful links or submit personal data.  These two techniques are employed to steal both money and private data.
• Scareware: Scareware is malicious software that is typically presented to users via deceptive pop-up messages and websites. It is designed to scare users into believing their computer is infected with a virus or other malware and then encourage them to purchase the malicious software to fix the problem. Scareware can also contain malicious code that further infects the user’s computer.

Common Pretexting Attack Examples

In this world, numerous common pretexting attack examples can be pointed out to showcase the various anti-social activities that are going on globally to befool the common people and obtain their hard-earned money through wrong practices.

Moreover, some of the common pretexting attack examples are as follows in the table:

Attack	Definition
CEO fraud	The adversary poses as the CEO or another senior leader in the organization and asks an individual for confidential material, such as financial or personnel information.
Tech support scam	The offender persuades the target to grant remote access to one’s computer by posing as a technical assistance agent from an established business. The attacker might then introduce malware or steal private data.
Bank phishing	The adversary transmits the target an email or text message that looks like it is from a reputable bank and requests that they update their account details or click on a link in the email or text message. The link can take the victim to a bogus website where their login information is stolen.
Government impersonation	The offender asks for private details or the payment of a fine while assuming to be a representative of a government organization like the IRS or Social Security Administration. If the target does not comply, they might be warned about legal repercussions or even arrested.
Human resources scam	The adversary asks an individual for private details, like their Social Security number or bank account details, while posing as a human resources professional.

How to Prevent Pretexting?

The following are some popular ways to protect oneself or one’s business from pretexting attacks:

• Educate employees
• Implement strict access control policies
• Use two-factor authentication
• Monitor network activity
• Use strong passwords and encryption

Differences between Phishing and Pretexting

Phishing attacks frequently use phony emails or websites that look like they are coming from a reliable source, such as a bank or social media site. In addition, the intruder frequently asks the target for confidential information, such as login passwords, credit card details, or other personal details, to perpetrate fraud or identity theft.

In another context, pretexting attacks entail employing a fake pretext or contrived scenario to fool the victim into disclosing sensitive information. This could involve pretending to be a reliable person, such as a bank employee or corporate executive, and asking for private information as part of a fictitious transaction or investigation. Pretexting also aims to gather sensitive data, but the threat actor takes a unique approach by creating a scenario or persona to gain the victim’s trust.

FAQs

About what is pretexting

1. What is pretexting in information security?
   Pretexting is a form of social engineering attack in which the intruder tries to trick the target into divulging confidential information or taking a specific action that will help the attacker.  The threat actor fabricates a pretext or false scenario to earn the target’s trust and persuade them to divulge the necessary data or carry out the necessary action.
2. What is pretexting in cyberattacks?
   Pretexting is a type of social engineering method utilized in cyberattacks to trick people into disclosing private information or taking specific actions that are advantageous to the intruder.
3. What is an example of pretexting?
   CEO fraud is a pretty famous example of pretexting.
4. Why is pretexting used?
   As it is well known, pretexting is employed to obtain highly confidential and sensitive information from an organization or institution to make illegal gains for one’s gain.
5. Is pretexting illegal?
   Yes, in most countries in the world, employing varied pretexting techniques is sincerely illegal.

Wrapping Up

In the bottom line, we have sincerely tried our best to elaborate on the prominent factors related to pretexting and its corresponding terms. Moreover, if a person is willing to know more about the same context so deeply, they can take a globally recognized one-year Diploma in Cyber Security Course by Craw Security, the best cybersecurity training institute in India. This course offers a world-class training environment under the guidance of primetime mentors with many years of authentic experience in their respective trades of cybersecurity.

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