EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) v12Social EngineeringMedium
An attacker is attempting to gain access to a company's internal network. They notice that employees frequently leave the main entrance open for a brief period after swiping their access cards. The attacker then waits for an employee to swipe in and quickly follows them through the door before it closes, without swiping their own card. Which social engineering technique is the attacker utilizing?
- ATailgating
- BDumpster Diving
- CVishing
- DShoulder Surfing
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Tailgating
The scenario describes an attacker physically following an authorized person into a restricted area without proper authentication, which is the definition of tailgating (also known as piggybacking). This technique exploits human courtesy and the brief window of opportunity.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Dumpster diving involves sifting through trash to find discarded sensitive information.
- C. Vishing is phishing conducted over the phone, typically involving voice manipulation or social engineering tactics.
- D. Shoulder surfing involves directly observing someone's screen or keyboard to obtain sensitive information.
Tailgating (Piggybacking)
A social engineering technique where an unauthorized person gains entry to a restricted area by closely following an authorized person.
- Exploits human courtesy or distraction.
- Does not require bypassing physical security controls directly.
- Often relies on the authorized person assuming the follower is also authorized.
Memory trick: Don't let them follow your tail into the building.