APSEA: um sistema especialista como ferramenta de conscientização e prevenção contra ataques de engenharia social

Abstract

Introduction: The growing concern for information security arises from the risks associated with the dissemination of personal data on the Internet and the increase in social engineering attacks, which exploit psychological vulnerabilities. These attacks represent a substantial threat to individuals and organizations, potentially resulting in significant financial losses. The approach to tackling social engineering involves raising employee awareness, and an expert system stands out as a valuable tool for simulating human reasoning and providing recommendations based on user interactions. This dissertation is motivated by the urgent need to raise awareness about social engineering threats and to provide effective mechanisms to protect personal and organizational information from these attacks. Objective: The main objective is to develop an expert system for information security, focusing on social engineering, in order to raise user awareness and prevent vulnerabilities. Methodology: This research adopts an applied technological development approach, divided into two distinct phases. The first phase comprises systematic mapping, exploratory study, and data collection. In the second stage, the focus is directed to the development of the system, being validated through the application of a questionnaire using the Likert scale and analysis of the resulting data. Results: The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the adopted methodology. The systematic mapping provided valuable insights into social engineering attacks, while the expert system was validated to ensure it meets the requirements and expectations of users, especially in the context of awareness and prevention of social engineering threats. The application of the questionnaire using the Likert scale confirmed the positive acceptance by users, solidifying the perceived usefulness of the system. Conclusion: The concluding assessment highlights the relevance of the developed tool, which proves to be a significant contribution to the strategy of raising awareness against social engineering threats. In addition to reaffirming the results obtained, the study discusses its limitations, providing a broader context, and suggests possible directions for future research, aiming at the continuous improvement of information security in a dynamic and challenging scenario.