Social engineering is one of the most effective attack methods used by cybercriminals.
It doesn’t exploit vulnerabilities in IT systems — it exploits human psychology: trust, urgency, curiosity, and lack of suspicion.
What Is Social Engineering?
Social engineering is the art of psychological manipulation designed to trick victims into revealing confidential information or performing actions that compromise organisational security.
In short: why break a password when you can simply convince the user to give it to you?
Common Types of Social Engineering Attacks
- Phishing – fake emails, SMS, or websites designed to steal credentials or deliver malware
- Pretexting – impersonating a trusted person (IT support, police, manager) to extract information
- Baiting – luring victims with promises (free software, infected USB drives left in public places)
- Vishing / Smishing – voice or SMS-based scams that pressure victims into disclosing data or clicking links
- Tailgating / Piggybacking – physically following an authorised person into a restricted area by exploiting courtesy
How to Recognise a Social Engineering Attack
- Always verify the sender – watch for misspellings, strange domains, or slight variations
- Never click impulsively – hover over links and check the real destination
- Be sceptical of urgent requests for sensitive data or actions
- Notice emotional triggers – fear, greed, curiosity, or a sense of duty are red flags
Social engineering bypasses logic and targets emotions.
Employee Training – The Strongest Defence
Regular security awareness training is the most effective countermeasure.
Teach your team to:
- recognise phishing, pretexting, and baiting techniques,
- verify senders and requests independently,
- safely respond to suspected manipulation attempts.
Consistent training dramatically increases organisational resilience.
Clear Reporting Procedures
Establish simple, well-known channels for reporting suspected attacks.
Employees must know exactly who to contact and how quickly when something looks suspicious.
Fast reporting often stops an attack before it escalates.
Better a false positive than a successful breach.
Tools & Technologies That Help
- Advanced anti-spam and anti-phishing filters
- Intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS)
- EDR/XDR and SIEM for behavioural analytics
- Regular phishing simulation campaigns (the best way to test and train)
Combine technology with continuous education – this is the winning formula.
Get in Touch
I help organisations build effective security awareness programmes, run realistic phishing simulations, and conduct social engineering resilience audits.
Email: biuro@wichran.pl
Phone: +48 515 601 621
Author: Piotr Wichrań – Court-appointed IT forensic expert, IT/OT cybersecurity specialist, licensed private investigator
@Informatyka.Sledcza