Security threats come in many forms. One of the most insidious is social engineering, where attackers manipulate people to gain confidential information. Unlike traditional hacking, which targets systems or software, social engineering preys on human psychology. So, is there a way to defend against it? Yes, there is. Taking social engineering online courses and certifications can help you gain the skills to recognize and defend against this deceptive strategy.

But, with so 1000+ online courses available, which social engineering online course should you opt for? Are you having the same confusion? If yes - don't fret! In this piece, we have listed down the five best online social engineering courses that will teach you how to defend yourself and your organization from human hacking.

Table of Content (TOC)

• What is Social Engineering?
• What Makes Social Engineering a Serious Threat?
• Best 5 Online Social Engineering Courses

What is Social Engineering?

Social engineering is a technique in which the attacker uses psychological manipulation to trick the user (unsuspecting victim) into giving away sensitive/confidential data or making security mistakes.

This attack is carried out in one or more steps. An attacker first gathers necessary information about the victim, such as their social security or Aadhar card number, account number, bank records, personal addresses, phone number, staff vacation dates, security information related to a physical plan, etc.

Once all the information has been gathered, the attacker uses it to gain the victim's trust for succeeding actions that violate security practices, such as giving access to vital resources or disclosing sensitive information.

If you are interested in learning in detail about how this attack works and the various techniques employed by attackers, check out our detailed article: What is Social Engineering and How Does It Work?

What Makes Social Engineering a Serious Threat?

The factor that makes social engineering a serious threat is that it relies on human error instead of vulnerabilities in operating systems or software. Errors made by legitimate users are much less predictable, making them more challenging to recognize and prevent than a malware intrusion.

Best 5 Online Social Engineering Courses

These five courses have been carefully selected after comparing them against 100+ online social engineering courses and evaluating them on various parameters such as vendor, price, knowledge gain, etc. Here are the key highlights of these five courses:

Course	Price (INR)	Provider
Advanced Practical Initial Access (Social Engineering)	399 (50% off)	Udemy
Social Engineering	Free	Cybrary
Cybersecurity Awareness: Social Engineering	499/month	Linkedin Learning
Learn Social Engineering From Scratch 2024	399 (50% off)	Udemy
Ethical Hacking: Social Engineering	Free (749/month after 10 day trial)	Pluralsight

Advanced Practical Initial Access ( Social Engineering)

This Udemy course is designed for individuals who want to learn how attackers infiltrate systems and how to stop them. The course also teaches you about advanced social engineering techniques, how to identify and exploit zero-day vulnerabilities, attack strategies like weaponized document delivery and living-off-the-land techniques, which use tools already in the system to stay hidden. By the end of the course, you will be prepared to detect, respond to, and defend against various cyberattack types like social engineering.

Moreblessing Matake is the instructor of this course. The course has received a rating of 4.6 out of 5 and includes 7 hours of on-demand video, lifetime access, and a certificate of completion. To date, 385+ students have already enrolled in the course.

Social Engineering

This course provided by Cybrary covers basic information about social engineering. In this, you will learn how to craft phishing emails and malicious payloads using the SET (Social Engineering Toolkit) in a Kali Linux virtual environment, then play the victim by opening the malicious file. The course is primarily for students studying for the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and CompTIA Pentest+ certification examinations.

The course lasts 1 hour and 57 minutes, and individuals who want to pursue it should have basic IT or cyber security knowledge. This Social Engineering course prepares students for cybersecurity job roles, such as penetration testers, cybersecurity engineers, certified information security managers, etc.

Cybersecurity Awareness: Social Engineering

This LinkedIn learning course, led by Stephanie Ihezukwu (a security analyst and engineer), explains the difference between phishing and vishing and teaches you about baiting, social engineering, and physical activities like a tailgating attack that attackers can use to enter the system. The course also covers countermeasures, teaching how to combat these attacks by creating policies and procedures and setting up controls around email, passwords, and software updates. The course also provides hands-on experience by conducting tests to determine your defences' effectiveness.

The course lasts 55 minutes and 33 seconds and has received a rating of 4.7 out of 5. To date, 23,593 students have already enrolled in it. Apart from all this, you get a digital certificate to showcase your skills to potential recruiters upon completion.

Learn Social Engineering From Scratch 2024

The Learn Social Engineering From Scratch 2024, provided by Udemy, teaches you from scratch to advanced level. No prior knowledge is needed. The course will first help you understand the theory behind every attack and then how to use that attack in real life. The course is divided into several sections: information gathering, generating malware, delivery method, and post-exploitation.

Zaid Sabih and z Security are the instructors of this course. The course has received a rating of 4.7 out of 5 and includes 12.5 hours of on-demand video, lifetime access, 17 downloadable resources, and a certificate of completion. To date, 46,394+ students have already enrolled in the course.

Ethical Hacking: Social Engineering

This course by Pluralsight will teach you the social engineering skills needed for the EC-Council's Certified Ethical Hacker certification. You will learn social engineering tactics used by hackers, various types of attack vectors such as phishing and impersonation, aspects of physical security, and rogue websites, and how to guard against social engineering attacks.

The course has received a 5 rating and lasts 48 minutes. It is led by Alexander Tushinsky, a Microsoft Certified Trainer with 30+ years of experience working as a cybersecurity professional and technical trainer. Apart from that, he also holds a BS in Software Development and a Masters in Cybersecurity from Western Governors University.