Social engineering testing helps organisations better safeguard their assets, build a culture of security awareness and stay ahead of evolving cyber-threats
Regular social engineering testing ensures that weaknesses in your human defences are identified so they can be addressed, protecting against social engineering attacks
Social engineering testing demonstrates a proactive approach to security, showcasing a commitment to protecting sensitive information and mitigating risks
Blackfoot’s social engineering testing services keep you protected from social engineering threats, highlighting any weaknesses and enabling improvements in staff training and business processes.
Social engineering testing evaluates an organisation’s security capability against social engineering attacks. Criminals use social engineering to manipulate and deceive individuals into disclosing sensitive information or performing actions that may compromise organisational security.
Social engineering services typically include controlled simulations of phishing attacks, impersonations or other tactics aimed at exploiting human vulnerabilities. These services help identify potential weaknesses in an organisation’s security awareness, training programs and overall security posture.
By conducting social engineering testing, organisations can proactively identify and address these vulnerabilities, strengthen their cybersecurity defences and educate employees to be more vigilant against social engineering tactics.
Our social engineering testing follows a structured process to ensure comprehensive coverage and actionable insights.
We begin with planning; understanding your objectives and defining the service scope. Through reconnaissance, we gather information about the organisation and its security landscape. We then develop realistic scenarios tailored to your needs.
During execution phase, our expert testers carry out authorised social engineering attacks, observing and documenting employee responses.
We analyse the findings, evaluating the effectiveness of security protocols and highlighting specific weaknesses.
All findings are summarised in a detailed report, along with recommended actions, which our testers will explain in a debriefing session. We will provide the guidance you need to enhance security awareness and implement appropriate security measures to defend your organisation against social engineering attacks.
Blackfoot’s social engineering testing services keep you protected from social engineering threats, highlighting any weaknesses and enabling improvements in staff training and business processes.
Minimise your human attack surface with our on-site social engineering testing
Minimise your human attack surface with our phishing simulation testing
Minimise your human attack surface with our vishing simulation testing service
Minimise your human attack surface with our smishing simulation testing
Call us on +44 (0) 203 393 7795
Q: What is social engineering testing?
A: Social engineering testing assesses your organisation’s vulnerability to attacks that target people rather than technology. These include phishing emails, vishing calls, smishing text messages and on-site physical intrusion attempts. The aim is to evaluate how effectively your employees recognise and respond to social engineering tactics, and to identify gaps in training, process and culture that increase your risk of a human-enabled breach.
Q: What is the difference between phishing simulation, vishing simulation and smishing simulation?
A: Phishing simulation involves sending realistic but fake phishing emails to your employees to test whether they click malicious links, open attachments or submit credentials. Vishing simulation involves simulated telephone calls in which testers use social engineering techniques to obtain information or access from employees. Smishing simulation uses text messages as the attack vector. All three target different communication channels and may be used individually or in combination to provide a comprehensive view of your organisation’s exposure to social engineering.
Q: What is on-site social engineering testing?
A: On-site social engineering testing, sometimes called physical social engineering or red team physical testing, involves Blackfoot’s testers physically attending your premises and attempting to gain unauthorised access through deception techniques such as tailgating, impersonation or pretext scenarios. This type of testing assesses the effectiveness of physical security controls, staff vigilance and visitor management procedures.
Q: Will employees be told about social engineering testing in advance?
A: In most cases, employees who are the targets of social engineering testing are not informed in advance, as prior knowledge would significantly reduce the validity of the results.
Senior leadership and a small number of key stakeholders are typically briefed as part of the engagement setup. After the testing is complete, the results can be used as the basis for a training and awareness exercise, turning the assessment into a learning opportunity.
Q: How should we use the results of a phishing simulation?
A: Phishing simulation results should be used constructively to improve awareness and behaviour, not to penalise individuals. The data on click rates, credential submission and reporting rates provides a baseline against which future simulations can be measured, demonstrating the impact of your security awareness programme over time. Blackfoot can recommend or support follow-on training initiatives based on the patterns identified in your simulation results.
Call us on +44 (0) 203 393 7795
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We’ll keep you informed about potential risks and vulnerabilities that could impact your digital assets.