What Is Pretexting?

Pretexting is a social-engineering technique in which an attacker invents an identity, relationship, or situation to persuade someone to reveal information or perform an unauthorized action. Certification exams may describe a caller claiming to be a vendor, employee, customer, executive, or support technician and ask which technique is being used. Effective pretexts often include familiar terminology, personal details, urgency, or references to real business processes to make the story appear credible. Defenses include identity verification, callback procedures, approval requirements, security awareness, and policies that prohibit sharing credentials or sensitive data based only on a persuasive request. Employees should independently verify unusual requests through an approved channel and report attempts so the organization can warn other potential targets. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with. And dont forget Cyberauthor.me for the companion study guide and flash cards!