Social Engineering: Still the Biggest Risk

Introduction

Social engineering remains the single biggest threat in cybersecurity, not because technology has failed, but because human nature hasn’t changed. No matter how advanced cybersecurity becomes, one truth continues to define the landscape: people are the easiest targets to exploit. Despite billions spent each year on next-gen firewalls, AI-driven detection systems, and zero-trust architectures, attackers still find their way in. Not by breaking code, but by breaking confidence. This is the enduring power of social engineering.

At its core, social engineering is psychological manipulation: persuading someone to act against their best interests while believing they’re doing the right thing. Simply put, social engineering is that phishing email disguised as an urgent invoice, that phone call from “IT support,” or the message from a trusted colleague asking for a quick favor. But in 2025, these aren’t the sloppy scams of the past. Today’s attacks are intelligent, localized, and often powered by AI tools capable of mimicking tone, writing style, and even voice or video.

Recent incidents illustrate how far the tactic has evolved. Deepfake audio has been used to impersonate executives and authorize fraudulent transactions. AI-written spear-phishing emails now pass even seasoned professionals’ scrutiny. And on professional networks, cloned profiles have become hunting grounds for data theft and credential harvesting. The common denominator? Trust that is gained, weaponized, and exploited.

The most dangerous part of these attacks is their invisibility. For instance: a convincing login prompt; a legitimate-looking MFA request; or a seemingly normal Teams message. Each blends seamlessly into daily operations, relying not on technical flaws but on human instinct, which is the tendency to trust what looks familiar. Once that trust is broken, attackers gain the foothold they need to escalate privileges, exfiltrate data, or deploy further compromise.

The lesson is as old as cybersecurity itself: no patch can fix human nature. Social engineering succeeds not because systems are weak, but because people are predictable. Ultimately, social engineering doesn’t just target systems; it targets judgment. And as long as decisions are made by humans under pressure, this will remain the most powerful weapon in an attacker’s arsenal. In this blog, we’ll be exploring how social engineering tactics have evolved, why traditional awareness campaigns aren’t keeping up, and what organizations can do to strengthen the human element of defense, before trust becomes their greatest liability.

2. What Is Social Engineering?

Social engineering is the practice of deceiving people into giving away confidential information or performing actions that weaken security. It is not about code, but about confidence. Instead of exploiting software flaws, attackers exploit trust, curiosity, and routine human behavior. They rely on persuasion and timing rather than technology.

At its heart, social engineering blends human psychology with digital communication. Attackers study what makes people act quickly, what creates anxiety, and how authority influences decisions. Once they understand those triggers, they design messages or interactions that feel ordinary and legitimate. What follows is not a technical compromise but a psychological one.

Social engineering comes in many different forms, yet all of them rely on deception:

• Phishing

Phishing is the most common type, using fake emails that appear to come from trusted sources to steal credentials or spread malicious links.

• Spear Phishing

Spear phishing targets specific individuals or companies with customized details that make the message seem real.

• Vishing

Vishing uses voice calls, where an attacker pretends to be from a familiar institution like a bank or an IT department.

• Smishing

Smishing takes advantage of text messages, often alerting users to fake security issues or deliveries that require urgent action.

• Pretexting/Baiting

Pretexting and baiting use fabricated stories or tempting offers, such as posing as a recruiter or leaving an infected USB drive in a public space.

Let’s consider a simple example: imagine an employee who receives a call from someone claiming to be from internal support. The caller sounds professional and calm, explaining that a recent update caused login errors. To fix it, they just need to “verify” the employee’s credentials. Wanting to help, the employee complies, unknowingly giving an outsider access to sensitive systems.

As highlighted in a DigWatch article, “The United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) […] issued a warning to retailers about cyber-criminals impersonating IT help desks after recent attacks on major high-street names. In these incidents the attackers contacted help-desk staff and convinced them to reset passwords, gaining access to systems via social-engineering rather than malware.”

That is social engineering in action. No malware, no complex exploit, only manipulation of trust.

3. Why Social Engineering Still Works

Despite years of awareness campaigns and technical defenses, social engineering continues to be one of the most effective attack methods. The reason is simple: technology evolves, but human behavior does not. Attackers exploit the same instincts that drive trust, cooperation, and quick decision-making, which are the very qualities that make organizations run efficiently.

Social engineering thrives because it manipulates universal psychological triggers. Authority is one of the strongest. When a message appears to come from a superior, a vendor, or a well-known brand, most people comply without hesitation. Urgency is another. By creating a sense of limited time, for instance via a security alert, a payroll issue, or an expiring account, attackers push victims to act before thinking. Then comes fear, often tied to potential consequences, such as losing access or getting in trouble for a supposed mistake.

Other emotions play a role too. Curiosity draws people to click on unfamiliar links or open attachments, while greed or opportunity can make fake rewards or job offers seem legitimate. When combined with realistic-looking messages and familiar branding, these triggers form a powerful mix that few defenses can fully stop.

Modern conditions are certainly making the problem even worse. Hybrid work has blurred boundaries between professional and personal communication. Now, employees receive a constant flow of messages across email, chat, and mobile apps, each demanding attention. Under pressure and multitasking, people are more likely to skip verification steps or overlook subtle warning signs. Meanwhile, AI-driven tools have made digital impersonation easier, generating emails, voices, and even videos that seem authentic.

Behavioral cybersecurity research shows that our brains are wired for trust and efficiency. We default to believing familiar sources, especially when busy. Attackers know this and design their schemes to blend seamlessly into normal workflows. In the end, social engineering works because it targets people directly. The same instincts that make collaboration and teamwork possible also make deception almost effortless.

4. Common Tactics and Modern Variants

Attackers no longer rely solely on generic phishing emails. In 2025, social engineering has evolved into a sophisticated, multi-channel effort that blends psychology, technology, and persistence. Let’s take a look at several of the most prominent tactics we’re seeing across global incidents:

• Deepfakes

Deepfake audio/video impersonation has moved from theory to real-world threat. AI-generated voices and videos allow attackers to convincingly pose as senior leaders, vendors or executives. As noted in a Deepstrike article, a 2025 study noted that “voice cloning is the top attack vector: cheap, fast, and convincing.” If we’re talking about numbers, it was also pointed out that “The volume of deepfake content shared online is exploding. After an estimated 500,000 deepfakes were shared across social media platforms in 2023, that number is projected to skyrocket to 8 million by 2025. This is consistent with a growth rate where the volume of deepfake videos increases by 900% annually.”

• MFA Fatigue Attacks

MFA fatigue attacks (also known as push-bombing) exploit the very tools designed to keep accounts secure. Attackers bombard users with authentication requests until frustration leads to approval. For instance, the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reported the cybercriminal organization known as Scattered Spider has been behind “multiple social engineering techniques—including push bombing—and subscriber identity module (SIM) swap attacks, to obtain credentials, install remote access tools, and/or bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA). Previously, Scattered Spider threat actors have […] sent repeated MFA notification prompts leading to employees pressing the ‘Accept’ button.”

• Recruitment Campaigns

Recruitment and “pig butchering” campaigns are targeting professionals on social networks. Attackers are contacting job seekers or mid-level employees with high-pay, low-effort opportunities, trying to build trust before making malicious requests or sharing links. These campaigns exploit trust built through social platforms rather than corporate channels.

What sets these tactics apart is the cross-channel sophistication. A single attack might start on LinkedIn, move to a WhatsApp chat, then land as an email with a malicious link. For example, The Hacker News discussed a 2025 incident linked to North Korean Hackers codenamed “Deceptive Development”, in which they targeted “freelance software developers through spear-phishing on job-hunting and freelancing sites, aiming to steal cryptocurrency wallets and login information from browsers and password managers. The attack chains are characterized by the use of fake recruiter profiles on social media to reach out to prospective targets and share with them trojanized codebases hosted on GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket that deploy backdoors under the pretext of a job interview process.”

Why is this evolution so effective? Because it blends human trust, fatigue and accessibility of tools. When attackers use familiar systems, such as MFA prompts or known people like executive voices, the victims see legitimacy instead of risk. Traditional security controls often miss this because they focus on malicious code or unauthorized tools; not trusted actions used maliciously.

In short, modern social engineering doesn’t look like the wild-west phishing of old; it’s quieter, smarter and much more integrated into the daily workflows that organizations believe are safe.

5. Why Technology Alone Can’t Fix the Problem

Technology has become incredibly advanced at catching threats, yet social engineering continues to bypass it. Email filters block obvious phishing attempts, multi-factor authentication prevents unauthorized access, and modern detection platforms monitor networks in real time. But still, attackers keep finding success. The reason is simple and it bears repeating: they are not breaking code, they are breaking trust.

Social engineering targets the human layer of security, the part that no software can fully automate. It takes advantage of habits, emotions, and assumptions that define everyday communication. When a convincing voice calls pretending to be IT support, or when a carefully worded email asks someone to “verify” an urgent issue, it does not matter how strong the company’s firewall is; the point of entry will be human confidence and cooperation.

Technology helps reduce exposure, but it cannot interpret tone, urgency, or emotional pressure. A message that sounds calm and professional might easily pass through filters because it does not contain any malicious files or links. Even advanced systems like endpoint detection or identity verification tools cannot prevent a user from voluntarily giving away credentials if they believe the request is legitimate.

What makes social engineering so resilient is that it blends in with normal behavior. Attackers exploit the same tools and communication channels employees use every day, building narratives that sound routine and using timing and authority to steer decisions. Automation can detect patterns, but it cannot understand persuasion.

That is why  for social engineering, the strongest defense is cultural, instead of only technical. Organizations need to foster awareness, open communication, and a mindset that treats verification as a habit rather than suspicion. When people feel comfortable questioning requests, slowing down before acting, and reporting anomalies early, technology finally gains the human insight it needs to be effective.

6. Building a Human-Centric Defense

The most advanced technology in the world cannot protect an organization whose people are unprepared for deception. That’s why modern cybersecurity strategies are relying more on putting humans at the center, not the periphery. A truly resilient defense is one where every employee plays an active role in spotting and stopping threats, from interns to top executives.

Continuous awareness training is the foundation. Not the annual check-the-box video most companies rely on, but ongoing education that evolves alongside attacker tactics. Regular sessions should simulate realistic social engineering attempts and encourage employees to think critically, not fearfully, about the messages they receive. When paired with simulated phishing campaigns or red team exercises, for example, organizations can safely test readiness, uncover weak points, and turn mistakes into teachable moments rather than disciplinary actions.

Equally important are clear, accessible communication channels for verifying unusual or urgent requests. If an employee receives an email from a “senior executive” demanding credentials, there should be a well-defined, simple path to confirm authenticity. The goal is to make skepticism easy and safe. A no-blame culture helps ensure that users feel comfortable reporting suspicious activity, or even admitting when they’ve clicked on something they shouldn’t have, without fear of repercussions. Every incident report, no matter how small, provides valuable insight into how attackers are adapting.

Leadership buy-in is also essential. When executives actively support awareness initiatives and model secure behavior, it signals that security is everyone’s responsibility, not just IT’s. Over time, this consistency builds a culture of vigilance reinforced through repetition and positive recognition. Each reported phishing attempt or verified request becomes a small victory that strengthens collective awareness.

Ultimately, a human-centric defense doesn’t aim to eliminate mistakes. It aims to make the right response instinctive. In an era where attackers exploit trust more than technology, resilience begins with people who know when something doesn’t feel right.

7. Conclusion

Technology will continue to evolve at a staggering pace, but the most enduring vulnerability in cybersecurity remains unchanged: the human element. Firewalls can be hardened, passwords can be encrypted, and detection tools can learn, but people, driven by trust, urgency, and routine, will always be the primary target. Social engineering endures in 2025 precisely because it exploits what makes us human. After all, attackers don’t need to break through code when they can persuade someone to open the door.

Each new wave of phishing, vishing, and impersonation reflects how adaptive these tactics have become. They evolve not to outsmart software, but to outthink people. By appealing to authority, curiosity, or emotion, attackers continue to find their way past even the most advanced defenses. The lesson is clear: until security becomes second nature, attackers will keep finding ways to turn trust into an entry point.

The path forward can’t be to eliminate the human factor, but to strengthen it. A truly secure organization treats awareness as a continuous practice, not a compliance checkbox. It tests its defenses through realistic simulations, reinforces good habits with consistent feedback, and fosters a culture where skepticism is encouraged and mistakes become learning opportunities.

Ultimately, resilience lies in preparation. The organizations that will withstand the next generation of social engineering threats are those that recognize their people as both their greatest vulnerability, and also their greatest defense.

 

SOURCES:

https://dig.watch/updates/hackers-target-uk-retailers-with-fake-it-calls

https://deepstrike.io/blog/deepfake-statistics-2025

https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa23-320a

https://thehackernews.com/2025/02/north-korean-hackers-target-freelance.html

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