Social Engineering Attacks: How to Defend Your Data

Learn how attackers use psychological tricks rather than technical exploits to steal data, and how to recognize and resist social engineering.

What Is Social Engineering?

Social engineering is the art of manipulating people into revealing confidential information or performing actions that compromise security. Instead of breaking through firewalls or exploiting software bugs, social engineers exploit human trust, curiosity, fear, or urgency to achieve their goals.

Common examples include phishing emails, fake technical support calls, and pretexting—where an attacker pretends to be someone else, such as a coworker or service provider, to coax information from you. Because these attacks target people, not just systems, purely technical defenses are not enough.

Common Social Engineering Techniques

Phishing remains the most widespread form of social engineering and can arrive via email, text message, or messaging apps. Messages often impersonate banks, cloud services, or HR departments and try to rush you into clicking a link or opening an attachment. Spear phishing narrows the focus to specific individuals and uses personal details to appear more convincing.

Other techniques include baiting (offering something enticing in exchange for a risky action), quid pro quo offers of help, and tailgating into secure buildings by following someone through a locked door. Attackers often combine several methods in the same campaign.

Building Human Defenses Against Social Engineering

Defending against social engineering requires both awareness and clear procedures. Train yourself and your team to pause when confronted with urgent or emotional requests, especially those involving money, credentials, or sensitive data. Verify unexpected requests via a separate, trusted channel—such as calling a known number rather than using contact details in a suspicious message.

Organizations should establish policies for identity verification, password resets, and changes to payment details, and make sure employees know they will not be punished for double-checking unusual requests. Combining training with technical measures such as email filtering, web filtering, and strong authentication provides the best protection.