CAPEC-424: Influence Perception of Consensus or Social Proof
The adversary influences the target's actions by leveraging the inherent human nature to assume behavior of others is appropriate. In situations of uncertainty, people tend to behave in ways they see others behaving. The adversary convinces the target of adopting behavior or actions that is advantageous to the adversary.
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Overview
CAPEC-424 (Influence Perception of Consensus or Social Proof) is a detailed-level attack pattern catalogued by MITRE in the Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC). It describes a recurring method attackers use to exploit software weaknesses.
What the attacker needs
Prerequisites
- The adversary must have the means and knowledge of how to communicate with the target in some manner.
Skills required
- Low skill: The adversary requires strong inter-personal and communication skills.
Consequences
What a successful CAPEC-424 attack can achieve.
Other
Affects: Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
Attacks that leverage the principle of liking can lead to the target performing an action that results in a variety of consequences that negatively affect the confidentiality, availability, and/or integrity of an application or system.
How to mitigate it
Defenses that reduce the risk of CAPEC-424.
- An organization should provide regular, robust cybersecurity training to its employees to prevent social engineering attacks.