By Shai Gabay – Security Infowatch.com – March 18, 2025
Understanding how social engineering can cripple an organization is a critical driver for implementing solid policy and security frameworks.
Malicious actors and fraudsters appear to have discovered their newest favorite exploit: human nature. In today’s digital age, where organizations and their individuals are more interconnected than ever before, cyber threats evolve just as quickly as technology itself. Much of the focus in the realm of cybersecurity has been placed on technical defenses like firewalls, encryption, and antivirus software, but these technologies cannot account for the immaterial factor, human perception and emotion.
Rather than embedding ransomware or other nefarious code or executing DDoS attacks, fraudsters are shifting their focus to social engineering, manipulating human nature, and especially targeting employees with access to funds and the authority to change payment details and approve transfers. Using AI-generated attacks to compromise an organization’s security, their ultimate goal is to exploit the inherent weaknesses of human behavior and bypass traditional defense methods, making it one of the most effective and dangerous tools at a cybercriminal’s disposal and the most prevalent risk businesses face today.
What is Social Engineering, and Why Now?
Social engineering is the manipulation of individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise an organization’s security without their knowledge or consent. Instead of hacking into systems, social engineers prey on human psychology. They exploit emotions such as fear, curiosity, empathy, or trust to manipulate individuals into taking actions they wouldn’t otherwise take.