By Rheasoft March 3, 2025
“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for”, “These aren’t the droids we’re looking for” - The iconic exchange between Ben (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and the Stormtroopers in Star Wars episode IV - A New Hope. A scene where our heroes are almost caught in a check-point, but are able to convince the enemy Stormtroopers to let them pass.
And while the cybercriminals haven’t graduated from the Jedi Academy, they can use similar techniques to manipulate you when you least expect it.
- They can go undetected by using figurative sleight of hand to distract you.
- They can borrow trust and authority by pretending to be someone you won’t question.
- They can induce a sense of urgency, which impacts your judgement.
“You account has been compromised”
“My account has been compromised!”
“You must hurry, you have to click this link to secure it”
“I must hurry, I have to click this link to secure it!”
Yes, sometimes that’s all it takes to get someone to click an unsafe link. Some people are more aware of the possibility of phishing attempts, until they are caught off guard. Or if the attempt sounds realistic enough. Or harmless enough. Human errors are one of the weakest links in the chain of cybersecurity. And, unfortunately, the cybercriminals are very much aware of this fact.
They use the human psychology against their victims and with engineer-like precision they construct social interactions designed to manipulate, this is what we know as social engineering.
There is a stigma to being scammed, victims tend to cover up their mistakes due to embarrassment. But these cybercriminals are professionals, never forget that! They are very good at what they do, and we need to stay aware to keep up. If something feels off, it’s probably the Force trying to tell you something.
Stay aware (and use the Force) to defend yourself!