GUARD AGAINST DECEPTION
SOCIAL ENGINEERING
PENETRATION TESTING
Put the people, policies, processes, and technical controls of your business to the test with Secragon’s custom-tailored Social Engineering campaign. Gain actionable findings from real-world email, text message, phone-based, and physical scenarios to reduce risk and improve security.
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What You'll Get
Key findings, risks, impacts, and critical recommendations.
Overview of methodologies, standards, tactics, and techniques used.
Detailed vulnerability analysis, reproduction steps, PoC, evidence.
Strategic and tactical walkthrough on how to fix vulnerabilities.
Comprehensive advice on cybersecurity enhancement strategies.
Offered once vulnerabilities are fixed.
RESIST SOCIAL HACKS
WHAT IS SOCIAL ENGINEERING PENETRATION TESTING?
At its core, Social Engineering Penetration Testing encompasses a diverse range of simulated attacks and assessments designed to exploit human vulnerabilities within an organization’s security infrastructure. This practice is fundamental for uncovering hidden business risks and enhancing protocols that mitigate the threat of various attacks, including phishing, vishing, smishing, pretexting, impersonation, dumpster diving, USB drops, and tailgating. A staggering statistic underscores the significance of social engineering: 99% of cyberattacks leverage these tactics to manipulate users into installing malicious software, subsequently compromising an organization’s networks and servers. Among social engineering methods, phishing stands out as the most prevalent, contributing to over 90% of all data breaches. One in 99 emails contains a phishing attempt, and the remediation cost for phishing attacks averages a substantial $4.65 million.
In light of these sobering statistics, it is imperative to take action. Ensure the resilience of your organization by prioritizing Social Engineering testing and comprehensive training programs. Empower your team to recognize and effectively thwart social engineering threats!
Unveil hidden vulnerabilities in your security defenses.
Enhance your team’s ability to spot and thwart social engineering tricks.
Protect sensitive information and prevent costly breaches.
Ensure adherence to data protection regulations and industry standards.
Safeguard your brand by preventing cyber incidents.
Strengthen your overall security stance with proactive testing.
Why Conduct a Social Engineering Penetration Test?
The significance of conducting Social Engineering Penetration Tests cannot be overstated- from employee awareness to organizational defenses, each facet of social engineering resilience requires meticulous evaluation to counteract the ever-evolving tactics of cyber adversaries.
PROTECT AGAINST THE LATEST THREATS
When Should You Perform Social Engineering Penetration Testing?
Every single organization should conduct regular social engineering penetration tests as part of a comprehensive security assessment and risk management program. Here are some key considerations for when to perform social engineering penetration testing:
Regular
Testing
Perform periodic social engineering tests to maintain awareness and readiness.
Pre-High-Risk
Events
Test vigilance before critical events or heightened security periods.
Onboarding
Assessment
Evaluate new employees’ security awareness during onboarding.
Post-Training
Evaluation
Measure training effectiveness with
post-training tests.
Policy
Change Impact
Assess the impact of security policy changes on susceptibility to attacks.
Incident
Response Analysis
Analyze incidents through testing toprevent future breaches.
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Manager
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commitment.
Retesting After
Fixes
Ensuring threats are
truly eliminated.
Affordable
Expertise
Premium protection,
reasonable rates.
Customized
Approach
Solutions fitted to your
specific needs.
Proactive
Protection
Effectively securing your
digital assets.
What Will Be Assessed During a Social Engineering Penetration Test?
Social Engineering penetration testing involves a detailed evaluation of an organization’s vulnerabilities to various sophisticated social engineering tactics. The following areas are critically assessed:
Employee Awareness and Response
This aspect measures how effectively employees recognize and respond to phishing attempts, pinpointing the effectiveness of training programs and highlighting areas needing improvement. By simulating phishing attacks, the test gauges the promptness and accuracy of employees’ reactions, such as identifying and reporting phishing emails, which are critical components in preventing data breaches and security incidents.
Email Security Measures
Through the employment of crafted emails that mimic those used by malicious actors, this aspect evaluates the robustness of an organization’s email and spam filters in thwarting phishing attempts. It tests the technical defenses against phishing, determining the efficiency of filtering systems in blocking phishing emails and malicious attachments before they reach the end-user.
Security Awareness
By sending emails that appear to contain malicious links or attachments, this component evaluates whether employees might inadvertently provide credentials or execute harmful payloads. It assesses the level of security awareness among staff members and their ability to apply security best practices when handling suspicious emails.
Account Security
Simulations are run to attempt account takeovers by persuading employees to undertake actions that could compromise their security. This assesses the resilience of multifactor authentication (MFA) and authentication processes, examining how well these security measures are understood and adhered to by employees during a phishing attack.
Targeted Spear phishing
A customized campaign targets specific individuals or groups within the organization, aiming to uncover policy lapses and vulnerabilities through personalized attacks. This tactic assesses the effectiveness of security measures and training at the individual level, highlighting the importance of tailored security awareness programs that address the unique risks faced by different segments of an organization.
Employee Vigilance and Verification Procedures
This segment evaluates how well employees can identify suspicious calls and the effectiveness of their verification procedures before divulging sensitive information. It highlights the need for ongoing training and protocols to verify caller identities.
Information Security Practices
By simulating calls from attackers posing as internal staff or trusted third parties, this test assesses whether employees follow best practices in information security, such as not sharing passwords or sensitive data over the phone.
Response to Suspected Fraud
Measures the procedures and actions taken by employees when they suspect a vishing attempt, including how they report and escalate the incident within the organization.
Communication Security Measures
Evaluates the organization’s technical measures to prevent vishing, such as caller ID verification tools and the use of secured lines for sensitive communications.
Social Engineering Defense
Tests the effectiveness of training programs in teaching employees to recognize and resist manipulation techniques used by vishers, aiming to improve psychological defenses against social engineering.
Awareness and Response to Suspicious Messages
Assesses how employees react to receiving SMS messages that may request sensitive information or prompt them to click on malicious links, emphasizing the importance of training in identifying SMShing attempts.
Mobile Device Security Policies
Evaluates the organization’s policies and controls over mobile devices, determining their effectiveness in protecting against malicious SMS messages, including the use of anti-malware tools and secure messaging platforms.
Incident Reporting and Management
Measures the procedures for reporting SMShing attempts and managing incidents, assessing how well the organization responds to and learns from these attacks.
User Authentication and Access Controls
Tests how SMS-based phishing can circumvent or exploit weaknesses in authentication processes, particularly for applications accessed via mobile devices, highlighting the need for robust multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Targeted SMShing Campaigns
Conducts focused attacks on specific individuals or departments to evaluate their susceptibility to more personalized and sophisticated SMShing techniques, aiming to identify and close gaps in security awareness and practices.
Role-Based Access and Verification
Tests the ability of employees to verify the identity of individuals claiming to hold specific roles or positions, both within and outside the organization, to prevent unauthorized access to information or assets.
Physical and Digital Impersonation Tactics
Simulates attempts to impersonate personnel or external contractors to assess the effectiveness of physical security measures and digital identity verification processes.
Awareness and Detection
Evaluates the training and awareness programs in place to help employees recognize and respond to impersonation attempts, ensuring they are prepared to challenge suspicious behavior appropriately.
Incident Response to Impersonation
Measures the organization’s response to detected impersonation attempts, including reporting mechanisms and follow-up actions to address and mitigate potential security risks.
Pretexting and Social Engineering
Examines the susceptibility of employees to pretexting scenarios where attackers fabricate scenarios or identities to obtain privileged information or access, aiming to improve defensive training against such tactics.
Employee Response to Found Media
Assesses how employees react to finding unattended USB devices, whether they report, ignore, or inappropriately use such media, highlighting the need for clear policies and training on handling unknown devices.
Malware Protection and Endpoint Security
Tests the effectiveness of anti-malware solutions and endpoint security policies in detecting and preventing the execution of malicious software from external USB devices.
Physical Security Measures
Evaluates the organization’s physical security protocols to prevent the unauthorized distribution of USB devices within its premises, aiming to mitigate the risk of USB drop attacks.
Security Awareness and Training
Focuses on the effectiveness of security awareness programs in educating employees about the risks associated with using found USB devices and the best practices for such situations.
Incident Detection and Response
Measures the capability of the organization’s incident response team to detect, isolate, and mitigate threats introduced by malicious USB devices, ensuring swift action to prevent widespread impact.
Access Control and Entry Protocols
Evaluates the strength and enforcement of access control measures to prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining physical entry by following authorized personnel, often without their knowledge.
Employee Awareness and Vigilance
Assesses the level of security awareness among employees regarding the risk of tailgating and their propensity to challenge or report individuals attempting to gain unauthorized access.
Physical Security Measures
Reviews the effectiveness of physical barriers, security personnel, and surveillance systems in detecting and preventing tailgating attempts.
Incident Reporting and Management
Measures the processes in place for employees to report tailgating incidents and the subsequent actions taken by security teams to address and mitigate these security breaches.
Visitor Management and Authentication
Examines the visitor management procedures to ensure that all visitors are authenticated and monitored, reducing the risk of unauthorized access through tailgating.
PHISHING
Employee Awareness and Response
This aspect measures how effectively employees recognize and respond to phishing attempts, pinpointing the effectiveness of training programs and highlighting areas needing improvement. By simulating phishing attacks, the test gauges the promptness and accuracy of employees’ reactions, such as identifying and reporting phishing emails, which are critical components in preventing data breaches and security incidents.
Email Security Measures
Through the employment of crafted emails that mimic those used by malicious actors, this aspect evaluates the robustness of an organization’s email and spam filters in thwarting phishing attempts. It tests the technical defenses against phishing, determining the efficiency of filtering systems in blocking phishing emails and malicious attachments before they reach the end-user.
Security Awareness
By sending emails that appear to contain malicious links or attachments, this component evaluates whether employees might inadvertently provide credentials or execute harmful payloads. It assesses the level of security awareness among staff members and their ability to apply security best practices when handling suspicious emails.
Account Security
Simulations are run to attempt account takeovers by persuading employees to undertake actions that could compromise their security. This assesses the resilience of multifactor authentication (MFA) and authentication processes, examining how well these security measures are understood and adhered to by employees during a phishing attack.
Targeted Spear phishing
A customized campaign targets specific individuals or groups within the organization, aiming to uncover policy lapses and vulnerabilities through personalized attacks. This tactic assesses the effectiveness of security measures and training at the individual level, highlighting the importance of tailored security awareness programs that address the unique risks faced by different segments of an organization.
VISHING
Employee Vigilance and Verification Procedures
This segment evaluates how well employees can identify suspicious calls and the effectiveness of their verification procedures before divulging sensitive information. It highlights the need for ongoing training and protocols to verify caller identities.
Information Security Practices
By simulating calls from attackers posing as internal staff or trusted third parties, this test assesses whether employees follow best practices in information security, such as not sharing passwords or sensitive data over the phone.
Response to Suspected Fraud
Measures the procedures and actions taken by employees when they suspect a vishing attempt, including how they report and escalate the incident within the organization.
Communication Security Measures
Evaluates the organization’s technical measures to prevent vishing, such as caller ID verification tools and the use of secured lines for sensitive communications.
Social Engineering Defense
Tests the effectiveness of training programs in teaching employees to recognize and resist manipulation techniques used by vishers, aiming to improve psychological defenses against social engineering.
SMShing
Awareness and Response to Suspicious Messages
Assesses how employees react to receiving SMS messages that may request sensitive information or prompt them to click on malicious links, emphasizing the importance of training in identifying SMShing attempts.
Mobile Device Security Policies
Evaluates the organization’s policies and controls over mobile devices, determining their effectiveness in protecting against malicious SMS messages, including the use of anti-malware tools and secure messaging platforms.
Incident Reporting and Management
Measures the procedures for reporting SMShing attempts and managing incidents, assessing how well the organization responds to and learns from these attacks.
User Authentication and Access Controls
Tests how SMS-based phishing can circumvent or exploit weaknesses in authentication processes, particularly for applications accessed via mobile devices, highlighting the need for robust multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Targeted SMShing Campaigns
Conducts focused attacks on specific individuals or departments to evaluate their susceptibility to more personalized and sophisticated SMShing techniques, aiming to identify and close gaps in security awareness and practices.
IMPERSONATION
Role-Based Access and Verification
Tests the ability of employees to verify the identity of individuals claiming to hold specific roles or positions, both within and outside the organization, to prevent unauthorized access to information or assets.
Physical and Digital Impersonation Tactics
Simulates attempts to impersonate personnel or external contractors to assess the effectiveness of physical security measures and digital identity verification processes.
Awareness and Detection
Evaluates the training and awareness programs in place to help employees recognize and respond to impersonation attempts, ensuring they are prepared to challenge suspicious behavior appropriately.
Incident Response to Impersonation
Measures the organization’s response to detected impersonation attempts, including reporting mechanisms and follow-up actions to address and mitigate potential security risks.
Pretexting and Social Engineering
Examines the susceptibility of employees to pretexting scenarios where attackers fabricate scenarios or identities to obtain privileged information or access, aiming to improve defensive training against such tactics.
USB DROPS
Employee Response to Found Media
Assesses how employees react to finding unattended USB devices, whether they report, ignore, or inappropriately use such media, highlighting the need for clear policies and training on handling unknown devices.
Malware Protection and Endpoint Security
Tests the effectiveness of anti-malware solutions and endpoint security policies in detecting and preventing the execution of malicious software from external USB devices.
Physical Security Measures
Evaluates the organization’s physical security protocols to prevent the unauthorized distribution of USB devices within its premises, aiming to mitigate the risk of USB drop attacks.
Security Awareness and Training
Focuses on the effectiveness of security awareness programs in educating employees about the risks associated with using found USB devices and the best practices for such situations.
Incident Detection and Response
Measures the capability of the organization’s incident response team to detect, isolate, and mitigate threats introduced by malicious USB devices, ensuring swift action to prevent widespread impact.
TAILGATING
Access Control and Entry Protocols
Evaluates the strength and enforcement of access control measures to prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining physical entry by following authorized personnel, often without their knowledge.
Employee Awareness and Vigilance
Assesses the level of security awareness among employees regarding the risk of tailgating and their propensity to challenge or report individuals attempting to gain unauthorized access.
Physical Security Measures
Reviews the effectiveness of physical barriers, security personnel, and surveillance systems in detecting and preventing tailgating attempts.
Incident Reporting and Management
Measures the processes in place for employees to report tailgating incidents and the subsequent actions taken by security teams to address and mitigate these security breaches.
Visitor Management and Authentication
Examines the visitor management procedures to ensure that all visitors are authenticated and monitored, reducing the risk of unauthorized access through tailgating.
Account Takeover
Emails and text messages persuade employees to take actions that could compromise their accounts to capture MFA, session cookie details, or authentication tokens.
Our Penetration Testing Process
If your organization has not gone through a penetration test before, you may not know what to expect. Even if you have, maybe you are wondering what Secragon’s stages of penetration testing are. Here is a high-level break down of each step of our proven process:
Activities: Defining the objective and scope of the test and obtaining client consent. Assembling necessary resources, including phishing frameworks and cloud setups, collecting detailed target information through OSINT, and deciding on social engineering tactics for the engagement.
Outcomes: Scope validation, business proposal, signed contract.
Activities: Developing pretexts involves crafting fake websites for technical attacks or credibility, creating convincing online personas and physical credentials, and designing phishing emails to elicit clicks or sensitive info from targets. Also crucial is scripting phone calls and in-person interactions to manipulate effectively, akin to sales tactics.
Outcomes: Developed scenarios and social engineering tactics (e.g., phishing emails/messages, phone calls, and in-person interactions).
Activities: Executing social engineering tactics such as phishing, phone calls, or in-person interactions with a crafted pretext, testing persuasive skills. Monitoring responses and adapting strategies to achieve objectives. Documenting interactions for insights on improving client protection and collecting credentials as evidence of success.
Outcomes: Initial engagement, information or access obtained.
Activities: Using gained information or actions from targets to access systems unauthorizedly, such as logging in with stolen credentials or controlling systems via malware. Identifying vulnerabilities to exploit further, possibly involving more social engineering. The cycle of information gathering, pretext development, tactic execution, and exploitation repeats, aiming for higher privileged access.
Outcomes: Unauthorized access gained, vulnerabilities exploited, higher privileges targeted.
Activities: Analyzing the effectiveness of social engineering tactics and reporting findings to improve the client’s security posture. Documenting from planning to exploitation to detail findings and successful tactics, providing actionable mitigation recommendations and security awareness training for maximum protection.
Outcomes: Detailed report with findings and remediation recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Couldn’t find the information you were looking for?
To prevent social engineering attacks, it’s important to adopt a combination of education, vigilance, and robust security protocols. Key strategies include:
- Educate Employees: Regular training on recognizing and responding to social engineering tactics.
- Implement Strong Policies: Establish clear guidelines for handling sensitive information and verifying identities.
- Use Technical Defenses: Implementing email filters, secure web gateways, and anti-phishing tools.
- Regularly Update Security Practices: Keeping up with the latest social engineering tactics and updating defenses accordingly.
- Encourage a Security-minded Culture: Promote a workplace environment where security is a priority and suspicious activities are reported. Instill the mantra ‘think before you click’.
These steps help in creating a comprehensive defense against social engineering attacks.
To scope a social engineering penetration test, you need to identify the organization’s critical assets, target audience, and specific goals for the test. Define the boundaries, methods, and reporting expectations while considering legal requirements and budget constraints. Understanding the organization’s risk tolerance is crucial for tailoring the test to its unique needs.
A test can typically be scheduled within 5-10 days following a scoping call. If you need an urgent one, reach out to us immediately—we’re ready to assist. Connect with us now to secure your spot!
The cost of a social engineering penetration test can vary considerably based on factors like the scope of the test, the size and complexity of the organization, the depth of testing required, and the level of customization. You need to communicate your organization’s specific testing needs and objectives to help us provide accurate cost estimates tailored to your requirements.
In summary, social engineering penetration testing is a proactive and valuable component of an organization’s cybersecurity strategy. It helps organizations understand, address, and reduce the risks associated with human manipulation, ultimately strengthening their overall security posture. It should be integrated with other security measures, policies, and practices to provide a well-rounded defense against cyber threats.
Client data protection is our priority. We use non-destructive methods during our assessments and maintain strict confidentiality. Additionally, we implement rigorous safeguards and follow best practices to ensure that your data is not compromised at any point. Our team conducts thorough risk assessments to identify potential data safety issues before they arise, providing you with the assurance that your sensitive information remains secure throughout the process.
SECRAGON, YOUR CYBERSECURITY PROVIDER
We, at Secragon, are a team of certified ethical hackers, visionary security engineers, seasoned penetration testers, and committed project managers… but first of all – professionals, who LIVE and BREATHE Offensive Security. Along the list of qualifications, titles, and credentials, we bring a real “think outside of the box” mindset to every project and we constantly strive to learn, explore, and push forward to master complex concepts and deliver top-notch services and results.
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