We asked three industry experts what are the most common psychological tactics used in social engineering attacks, and how can organisations train employees to recognise and resist them?
Cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls, encryption and endpoint protection. For attackers, the easiest way into an organisation is often not through a vulnerability in the system – but through a vulnerability in human behaviour.
Social engineering attacks are designed to exploit the way people think, feel and respond under pressure. And they remain one of the most persistent and effective threats to businesses today.
From phishing emails and malicious links to voice scams and impersonation tactics, social engineering preys on basic psychological triggers. Attackers use authority, urgency, curiosity and even kindness to trick people into making split-second decisions – decisions they wouldn’t usually make if they had the full picture or more time to think. These scams work because they’re tailored to human responses, not system weaknesses.
The success of these attacks is not a reflection of carelessness or ignorance, but of how well social engineers understand human nature. A carefully worded email, a spoofed phone number, a message that looks like it’s from the CEO – these are all tactics designed to short-circuit rational thinking and provoke action. When someone believes their job is on the line, or that a colleague needs urgent help, security protocols often fall by the wayside.
Despite this, many security training programmes still focus heavily on technical dos and don’ts. They fail to explain the psychology behind attacks or help employees understand why they feel compelled to act. Effective training must go beyond simple instruction. It needs to immerse employees in real-world scenarios, showing them how social engineering tactics are crafted, and giving them the opportunity to practise identifying and resisting them.
In this feature, three cybersecurity experts outline the most common psychological tricks used in social engineering campaigns – and explore how organisations can train employees to become more aware, resilient and confident in their responses. From recognising manipulation and resisting authority pressure to questioning urgency and verifying requests, their insights offer a clear roadmap for building a workforce that not only understands the threat but knows how to push back against it. In an era where human error remains the leading cause of breaches, empowering staff with psychological awareness is no longer optional – it’s a business imperative.
Walid Issa, Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering – Middle East and Africa, NetApp
Social engineering attacks exploit human psychology to manipulate individuals into revealing sensitive information or performing actions that compromise organisational security. These attacks leverage various psychological tactics to deceive and exploit their targets. For example, phishing involves sending fraudulent emails or messages that impersonate legitimate sources, tricking users into revealing credentials or clicking on malicious urls.
Pretexting is another common method, where attackers fabricate scenarios, usually showing as trusted figures such as colleagues, IT staff, or customers so to gain trust and extract valuable information. Tailgating takes advantage of physical access vulnerabilities by following authorised employees into restricted areas, relying on the natural inclination to be polite and hold doors open.
The authority tactic manipulates individuals by impersonating high-rank officials or law enforcement, pressuring them into compliance. Similarly, urgency is a powerful psychological tool attackers use to create panic or time pressure, driving victims to act quickly without verifying the legitimacy of the request.
To combat these threats, organisations must take proactive steps to train employees to recognise and resist social engineering tactics. Security awareness training is a foundational measure that should be conducted regularly to educate teams about common attack methods, their potential consequences and effective response strategies.
Phishing simulations offer practical exercises in identifying suspicious communications while providing immediate feedback to reinforce learning. Implementing strong password policies and encouraging the use of password managers can further reduce the risk of credential-based attacks. Adopting Two-Factor Authentication across critical systems adds an extra layer of security, making it significantly more difficult for attackers to gain unauthorised access.
Verification procedures are essential for safeguarding sensitive data and access requests. Employees should be trained to double-check such requests through alternative communication channels to ensure authenticity. Establishing a clear reporting mechanism is also important; employees should feel empowered to report suspicious activity without fear of reprisal, fostering a culture of caution and accountability. Regularly updating and patching systems and software is another critical step in closing technical vulnerabilities that attackers might exploit.
By integrating these measures, organisations can strengthen both their technical defences and their human resilience against social engineering attacks. A well-trained workforce that is aware, alert, and equipped with the right tools plays a key role in reducing the likelihood of successful manipulation attempts. Ultimately, combining employee education with robust security practices creates a comprehensive defence strategy that mitigates risks and enhances overall organisational security.
Adriyan Pavlykevych, SoftServe’s CISO
Social engineering attacks continue to be among the most effective techniques used by threat actors, not because of advanced technical capabilities, but because it taps into something far more predictable: human behaviour. Tactics like urgency, authority, curiosity and misplaced trust are frequently used to manipulate individuals into revealing sensitive information or granting unauthorised access.
A common scenario often involves phishing attempts during off-work hours, when vigilance may be lower and security teams are less active. Attackers often impersonate colleagues or create fake urgencies, pushing users to click without thinking or handing over their credentials. Once an entry point is established, it can be used to move across, through systems, escalate privileges, and deploy malware or ransomware.
To combat these threats, organisations must adopt a two-pronged approach that combines cultural transformation with technical resilience. Through training, employees are able to spot and resist social engineering tactics. But this should be a continuous initiative, not a one-off activity. Effective training should walk employees through real-world attack scenarios, show them how these scams play out, and let them practise spotting red flags before it’s too late.
Security and privacy awareness programmes must also empower staff to ask critical questions before responding to emails, downloading attachments, or sharing sensitive data. It’s equally important that the training communicates not just what to do, but why it is important to carry out due diligence. Security shouldn’t feel like an add-on. It needs to be second nature in daily decision-making.
Beyond awareness, proactive cybersecurity controls act as critical safeguards. These include robust audit logging, regular internal and external audits, and scheduled penetration testing to assess vulnerabilities before they are exploited. A Zero Trust architecture that requires multi-factor authentication and applies conditional access policies can greatly reduce the success rate of social engineering attempts by limiting access even if credentials are compromised.
Another key element is the continuous evaluation of security team capabilities. Organisations should periodically assess team maturity and readiness, investing in skill development and upgrading tools and processes as needed.
Ultimately, a strong defence against social engineering depends on the three layers of training, tools and trust. Open communication, transparency after incidents, and a commitment to continuous improvement can reinforce a culture of security and empower employees to act as the first line of defence.
Kalle Bjorn, Senior Director, Systems Engineering – Middle East, Fortinet
A social engineering attack is any use of psychological manipulation to trick humans into making a security mistake such as giving away sensitive information, and there are certain traits that are endemic to human behavior that social engineering cyberattacks seek to exploit.
One example is to exploit the human practice of reciprocity. Social engineering attackers abuse this tendency by offering advice, something exclusive, or personalising their offer to make the target feel obliged to give something back. After someone commits to a course of action, they feel obligated to stick with their decision. An attacker using social engineering tools can exploit this by having the victim agree to small things before asking them for something bigger. They may also have them agree to an action before its risks are obvious.
People are also far more likely to get behind a product if other people they trust have endorsed it. Attackers may use social networking to exploit the social proof concept by claiming that the victim’s online friends have already endorsed an action, product or service. Furthermore, people naturally tend to trust authorities more than those with less experience or expertise. Hence, an attacker may try to use phrases such as ‘according to experts’ or ‘science proves’ to convince a target to agree to something.
The same psychological tactic can be applied when we consider that people have a tendency to give more credibility to those they like than those they do not. To exploit this, a social engineering attacker may try to appear trustworthy, attractive, or like someone who shares similar interests.
A lack of education and awareness can leave your organisation vulnerable to costly scams and cyberattacks. It’s therefore so important to build a human firewall by training employees and maintaining high-security standards.
To help employees spot a social engineering attack, organisations can train them to look for signs such as an emotional plea that leverages fear, curiosity, excitement, anger, sadness, or guilt, a sense of urgency around the request, or an attempt to establish trust with the recipient. In short, anytime someone tries to get you to provide money or sensitive information through manipulation or coercion, you are being targeted with a social engineering attack.
