Defining Baiting

Hello, and welcome to section 1.8 of the attacks, Course Baiting. I’m Lisa Gilbert, and I will be sharing a lot of helpful information so you can understand this type of attack and defend against it. In our discussion of baiting, I will first define baiting and why it is important to understand and prevent. Next, I will discuss what attackers are trying to accomplish. Then I will explain exactly who is at risk and explore the red flags and warning signs that a baiting attack is taking place. We will also explore some of the tactics used by attackers and share an example that happened to one of my friends.

Lastly, I will describe how you can protect yourself and your organization from baiting attacks. Before we can discuss baiting, we need to define what it is. As implied by the name, baiting attacks use a false promise to appeal to a victim’s greed or curiosity. Users are lured into a trap that either steals their personal information or infects their system with malware. These attacks usually appear in the form of physical media, such as a USB thumb drive. There are two primary objectives of baiting. One is to steal personal or organizational information, and the other is to infect systems or networks with some type of malware. So who’s at risk for a baiting attack?

Anyone who could be tempted by greed or curiosity, which if we’re honest, this is just about everyone.