Social engineering attacks are on the rise and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are especially vulnerable targets, often having more limited security resources and less mature defences that are easier to bypass.
What is social engineering?
Social engineering is a psychological manipulation technique used by threat actors to trick individuals into revealing confidential information or granting access to secure systems. It exploits human behaviour by leveraging fear, urgency, or authority to trick individuals into compromising security. It includes attack techniques like phishing and deepfakes, and covers all forms of communication, including email, phone, social media and face-to-face.
Why SMEs need to take action against social engineering
For SMEs, it's tempting to think,“It won’t happen to us”, but the consequences of a successful attack can be severe and can far outweigh the costs of preventative measures. These attacks often result in unauthorised access to systems, fraudulent payments, data theft, operational disruption, and reputational damage. In some cases, a single mistake—like a fraudulent link clicked in an email—can have significant knock-on effects that impact customers, suppliers, and the wider supply chain.
Understanding how these attacks work and investing in practical defences is essential for strengthening protective capabilities. Even with limited budget or resources, SMEs can still take an effective and strategic approach to mitigating social engineering risks. By incorporating intelligence and proactive measures into your security strategy, you can better identify potential threats, close gaps and build resilience across your organisation.
In our latest whitepaper, our experts share detailed insights about practical steps you can take to reduce exposure, implement preventative controls, and strengthen resilience against social engineering attacks. Download our whitepaper here.
Get in touch with our friendly team today to find out how we can help you protect your organisation against social engineering.
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