Social engineering

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which best describes social engineering?

A Tricking a person into giving away access or information

B Breaking into a computer by hacking its software

2. A caller says, 'I'm from the school IT team. Tell me your password so I can fix your account.' What is this?

A A normal IT support request

B Social engineering by pretending to be someone trusted

3. Which message uses urgency to pressure you?

A 'Act now! Your account will be deleted in 10 minutes!'

B 'Our newsletter comes out on the first of each month.'

4. True or false: Phishing is one type of social engineering.

A False

B True

5. What is the best response to an urgent message asking for your login details?

A Stop, don't reply, and check with the real company or a trusted adult

B Reply quickly so nothing bad happens

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1social engineering		AURGENT: Your account will be deleted in 1 hour! Click here now!
2phishing		BOne type of social engineering that uses fake messages to trick you into giving information
3Pretending to be someone trusted to get information		CHi, I'm from IT support. Tell me your password so I can fix your laptop.
4Creating urgency so you act without thinking		DSocial engineering tricks people, not computer systems. Breaking through a firewall with code is hacking, not social engineering.
5Social engineering is when a hacker breaks through a firewall using code.		EAttackers pretend to be trusted people. You should never share your password, even if the message seems to come from someone you know.
6If a message is from someone who seems to be a teacher or a friend, it is always safe to share your password.		FTricking people, instead of hacking systems, into giving away access or information

Definitions

social engineering

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

__________________ tricks people

Phishing is one type of __________________

Attacker pretends to be a _______ person

Act NOW or lose your account! This tactic creates _______

It targets ______, not computer systems

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A caller ← "fake IT helpdesk"

B verified ← false

C IF verified = true THEN

D refuse and report it

Question 2

A msg ← "Act now or lose it!"

B urgency ← false

C IF urgency THEN slow down

Question 3

A name ← "Principal Lee"

B email ← "lee@sch00l-help.net"

C IF email looks fake THEN

D PRINT "Reply with details"

Question 4

A attack ← "phishing"

B target ← "a firewall"

C PRINT "Fools " + target

Question 5

A msg ← "Locked in 1 hour!"

B IF msg has deadline

C PRINT "Urgency: red flag"

Answer Key

Social engineering

Section A: Quick Questions

A — Tricking a person into giving away access or information

B — Social engineering by pretending to be someone trusted

A — 'Act now! Your account will be deleted in 10 minutes!'

B — True

A — Stop, don't reply, and check with the real company or a trusted adult

Section B: Match the Pairs

social engineering → Tricking people, instead of hacking systems, into giving away access or information

phishing → One type of social engineering that uses fake messages to trick you into giving information

Pretending to be someone trusted to get information → Hi, I'm from IT support. Tell me your password so I can fix your laptop.

Creating urgency so you act without thinking → URGENT: Your account will be deleted in 1 hour! Click here now!

Social engineering is when a hacker breaks through a firewall using code. → Social engineering tricks people, not computer systems. Breaking through a firewall with code is hacking, not social engineering.

If a message is from someone who seems to be a teacher or a friend, it is always safe to share your password. → Attackers pretend to be trusted people. You should never share your password, even if the message seems to come from someone you know.

Section C: Definitions

social engineering — Tricking people, instead of hacking systems, into giving away access or information, often by pretending to be someone trusted or creating urgency. Phishing is one type.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

social engineering tricks people

Phishing is one type of social engineering

Attacker pretends to be a trusted person

Act NOW or lose your account!
This tactic creates urgency

It targets people, not computer systems

Section E: Spot the Error

C — The caller has NOT been verified, so the program should refuse and report. The condition should be IF verified = false THEN. Never trust someone just because they say they are from IT.

B — The message says 'Act now or lose it!', which is a pressure tactic. Urgency should be set to true so the program tells the user to slow down and check.

D — The email pretends to be from the principal but uses a fake address. The safe response is PRINT "Do not reply", not sending personal details.

B — Social engineering, including phishing, tricks people rather than hacking systems. The target should be "a person", not a firewall.

B — An IF statement needs THEN after its condition. The line should be IF msg has deadline THEN.