Recognizing Social Engineering Attacks to Protect Your Business
Imagine a stranger disguised as a trusted friend, slipping into your circle and convincing you to reveal secrets or gain access to sensitive areas you’d normally guard with your life. That, in essence, is what a social engineering attack is—a psychological manipulation tricking people into divulging sensitive information or granting unauthorized access. For business owners, this represents a critical cybersecurity challenge that needs to be addressed—with urgency.
That is what our team at RTS did during a recent webinar hosted by the Greater Maryland Better Business Bureau. Krister Dunn, VP of Business Development and Wil Roberts, IT Engineer have discussed the nuances of social engineering attacks, and provided many actionable insights to help you protect what you’ve worked so hard to build—your business.
What is Social Engineering?
Unlike traditional hacking methods that exploit software vulnerabilities by, social engineering attacks exploit human psychology. By manipulating emotions such as trust, fear, or curiosity, attackers trick individuals into divulging sensitive or personal information or performing actions that compromise security.
The Anatomy of a Social Engineering Attack: Psychological Manipulation
At its core, a social engineering attack leverages trust and human interaction against you. These attackers don’t break into your systems using brute force hacking; instead, they exploit the weakest link in cybersecurity—people.
These attacks may involve someone posing as a reputable vendor, a staff member, or even a completely fabricated identity. By using social engineering tactics such as asking the right questions or presenting urgency, attackers piece together information to infiltrate your systems or networks. Often, they combine information collected from multiple sources within the same organization to close the net tighter.
Why is it effective? Because it feels personal. These attacks target emotions like fear, trust, and curiosity to compel rapid—and often reckless—action.
Types of Social Engineering Attacks
Social engineering isn’t just one strategy; it’s a spectrum of creative and manipulative approaches. Here are the most common types every business owner should know:
1. Phishing
Phishing attacks often involve emails or malicious websites designed to impersonate reputable organizations urging recipients to provide sensitive details, such as account credentials, which allows attackers unauthorized access to your systems.
Examples:
A fraudulent email claiming to be from your financial institution threatens account closure unless you enter your account details via a provided (malicious) link. “Dear Valued Customer,” it starts—vague and impersonal. That’s your first red flag!
Phishing attacks may also appear to come from other types of organizations, such as charities. Attackers often take advantage of current events and certain times of the year, such as:
Natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina, Indonesian tsunami)
Epidemics and health scares (e.g., H1N1, COVID-19)
Economic concerns (e.g., IRS scams)
Major political elections
Holidays
Spear Phishing, its more targeted cousin, focuses on specific individuals within the organization, often tailored with personal details to seem legitimate.
2. Vishing (Voice Phishing)
Vishing is a social engineering tactic that exploits voice communication to deceive victims. Often combined with other techniques, it may lure individuals into calling a specific number and unknowingly sharing sensitive information. More advanced vishing attacks can occur entirely through voice channels, leveraging Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems and broadcasting services. VoIP technology enables caller ID spoofing, making it difficult to verify the legitimacy of a call. This can exploit your employees’ misplaced trust in the perceived security of phone services, particularly landlines.
Sophisticated vishing attacks have also evolved to use tools like AI-generated voices, increasing their effectiveness and deception.
Example: You receive a call from someone claiming to be Microsoft, saying they’ve detected issues with your system. They need immediate remote access to “fix” it—but the fix is installing malicious software.
3. Smishing (SMS Phishing)
Smishing is a type of social engineering attack that targets users through SMS or text messages. These messages often include links to websites, email addresses, or phone numbers that, when clicked, can automatically open a browser, compose an email, or initiate a phone call, aiming to steal personal and financial information. The seamless integration of texting, email, voice, and web browsing makes it easier for attackers to manipulate users into falling for these malicious schemes.
Example: A text from your local toll authority claims you owe money for unpaid tolls and prompts you to click a payment link. Spoiler alert—it wasn’t the toll authority.
4. Baiting
This attack leaves “bait”—malicious USB sticks or file attachments—lying around, hoping curiosity does the rest. Install the bait, and the attacker may gain full access to your system, potentially leading to identity theft, holding your business a hostage for ransom, or financial crime.
5. Pretexting
Here, the attacker creates a fabricated scenario to trick you into disclosing sensitive information. This social engineering technique might involve someone posing as your IT department calling you requesting your office Wi-Fi password, claiming it’s for maintenance purposes.
6. Business Email Compromise
Business email compromise (BEC) is a sophisticated type of social engineering attack where attackers impersonate high-ranking executives to manipulate employees into transferring funds or divulging sensitive information. These attacks often create a sense of urgency or trust, making them highly effective.
Example: In a typical BEC scenario, an attacker might send an email that appears to come from the CEO, instructing an employee to wire money to a specific account or provide confidential information. The email might use urgent language to pressure the employee into acting quickly without verifying the request. BEC attacks can also be carried out via phone calls, adding another layer of deception.
How Social Engineering Exploits Your Employees
For businesses, the real danger lies in employees unintentionally becoming accomplices to attacks. These manipulative tactics feed on emotions and relationships, often bypassing logic altogether, leading employees to divulge sensitive information.
For instance, the attacker may build urgency (“Complete this NOW or face a financial penalty!”) or plea for aid (“I need your help—this is a company emergency!”). The pressured employee, desperate to assist or avoid a crisis, acts without verifying.
Case in Point:
One of the most shocking scenarios involved an employee of one of our clients rushing to purchase thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards under the impression they were helping their boss. The email request was so convincing—impersonating not only a boss but the urgency of business development needs—that they acted immediately. By the time they realized it was a scam, the gift cards and their funds were gone, completely unrecoverable.
This is exactly how devastatingly simple, yet effective, these attacks are.
Common Indicators of a Phishing Attempt
Would you recognize a phishing email if it landed in your inbox? Here’s what to watch for to identify social engineering attacks:
Suspicious Sender Addresses: Email domains that slightly deviate from legitimate websites (e.g., amaz0n.com vs. amazon.com). Hover over email addresses to check authenticity.
Generic Greetings: Fraudulent emails often begin with “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Valued Customer.” Legitimate firms address you by name.
Spoofed Links: Hover over hyperlinks—do they actually point to a trustworthy source?
Grammar and Layout Errors: Legit communication from major organizations is polished. Typos and clunky wording are giveaways.
Unsolicited Attachments or “Urgent” Requests: If someone unexpectedly asks you to download a file or provide sensitive info, pause and validate.
Empowering Employees as the First Line of Defense
Your employees are both your weakest link and your greatest defense if properly trained. Security Awareness training is KEY to breaking the cycle of social engineering success by recognizing social engineering techniques.
Security Awareness and Training
Unlike technical vulnerabilities that can be patched with software updates, social engineering exploits human psychology, making it a persistent and evolving threat.
Training should cover common types of social engineering attacks we discussed above, such as phishing, vishing, and BEC, and teach employees how to recognize and respond to these threats.
Security awareness training should be ongoing and regularly updated to reflect new and emerging threats. Tailoring the training to the specific needs and risks of your organization can make it more effective.
As part of raising cyber awareness at your organization, here are some actionable ways to empower your staff:
Regular Training
Conduct anti-phishing campaigns and quarterly video lessons to teach staff how to identify suspicious behavior.
Promote a Culture of Skepticism
Encourage employees to question unsolicited requests—even if it seemingly comes from upper management.
Independent Verification
Have a clear protocol where employees validate sensitive requests directly with the supposed source (but not through provided contact details).
Role-Playing Exercises
Simulate attacks to ensure employees understand how to act under pressure without succumbing to urgency.
Bonus Tip
Reward employees who successfully report phishing emails to make vigilance a positive experience.
Additional Tools to Shield Your Business from Social Engineering Attacks
Technology can be your ally in staying ahead of attackers. Here are some solutions your business should consider to prevent attackers from gaining access to your systems:
DNS Resolver – Prevents redirection to malicious websites by blocking fake addresses. Most DNS resolvers are free to use and easy to integrate.
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) – Adds an extra layer of security for logins—think SMS codes or app confirmations.
EDR/MDR (Endpoint/Managed Detection and Response) – Next-gen antivirus solutions offering real-time scanning and protection.
PAM (Privileged Access Management) – Limits the damage a misstep can cause by restricting high-level access to sensitive areas. It’s akin to having a bouncer for your business’s data entrances.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the key to combating social engineering attacks lies in combining robust technology, comprehensive employee training, and clear internal protocols. Social engineering attacks play on human emotions and instincts, making it crucial to address these factors.
You don’t have to tackle this alone—partner with cybersecurity experts or tap into free resources readily available online to protect your business. The days of letting social engineers exploit your people and systems are over.
Want to boost your organization’s defenses? Contact Krister Dunn at kristerd@reliabletechnology.co today to learn more how our Managed IT Services can help fortify your team against cyber threats.