What is Social Engineering?
Social Engineering is a manipulation technique that exploits human behavior rather than technical vulnerabilities to gain access to systems or sensitive information. It relies on psychological tactics such as trust, urgency, and authority to deceive individuals into taking actions that compromise security.
This approach underpins many attacks, including Phishing, Business Email Compromise (BEC), and pretexting campaigns. It is often used as an initial access vector in Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) operations.
What is Social Engineering used for?
Social engineering is used to bypass technical Security Controls by targeting the human element, often considered the weakest link in cybersecurity. It enables attackers to obtain credentials, install Malware, or gain physical access to systems.
Mitigation requires a combination of User Awareness Training, strong Identity and Access Management (IAM), and verification processes. Organizations should also monitor Indicators of Attack (IOA) and reinforce Zero Trust principles to reduce reliance on implicit trust.
