An employee reports a suspicious individual looking through the recycle bin. What type of social engineering threat does this represent?

The situation described involves a suspicious individual looking through a recycle bin, which is an act closely associated with investigating discarded materials for sensitive information. This practice is known as dumpster diving. Individuals engaged in dumpster diving search through waste or recycling bins to find documents, notes, or items that may contain confidential information that can be exploited for identity theft, corporate espionage, or other malicious objectives.

Recognizing the significance of discarded materials is essential for both physical and organizational security. Organizations often implement policies regarding the proper disposal of sensitive documents to mitigate the risks associated with this type of threat. In this context, dumpster diving represents a tangible social engineering threat that targets individuals’ and companies’ private data found in their refuse.