Social Engineering in Red Teaming

Social engineering is one of the most powerful components of a red team engagement because it targets the human layer, often the weakest link in any security system.

While technical defences continue to improve, attackers know that people can still be tricked, pressured, or persuaded into granting access. In red teaming, social engineering tests how well an organization can recognise and respond to these human-focused threats.

What is Social Engineering?

Social engineering is a form of manipulation that targets human behavior rather than technical weaknesses. Instead of breaking into systems, attackers trick people into revealing sensitive information, granting access, or performing actions that compromise security. These “human-focused” attacks can happen online, over the phone, in person, or through any interaction where trust can be exploited.

Because these schemes rely on psychology, they are highly effective. Cybercriminals study how people think, react, and make decisions. Once they understand a person’s motivations or habits, they can steer them into acting against their own best interests, often without realizing anything is wrong.

Attackers also take advantage of gaps in knowledge. With technology changing and growing so quickly, many users don’t recognise threats such as drive-by downloads or understand how valuable seemingly small pieces of data, like a phone number, can be. This lack of awareness leaves people vulnerable and unsure of how to protect themselves and their personal information. 

How do Social Engineering Attacks Happen?

Social engineering attacks happen when attackers manipulate people into taking actions that compromise security. Instead of exploiting technical flaws, they exploit human behavior, emotions, and assumptions. Here’s a clear breakdown of how these attacks typically unfold:

Information gathering

Attackers start by collecting details about a person or organization. They might use:

• Social media posts
• Company websites
• Data breaches
• Public records
• Casual conversations

This helps them build a believable story or identity.

Creating trust, fear, or urgency

Once they understand the target, attackers craft a scenario designed to push someone into reacting quickly or emotionally. They might:

• Pretend to be a colleague, manager, or supplier
• Use a trusted brand’s logo or tone
• Claim something bad will happen if the person doesn’t act (“Your account will be suspended”)

This psychological pressure lowers defenses.

Delivering the attack

The attacker presents a request or action that appears legitimate, such as:

• Clicking a link
• Opening an attachment
• Entering login details
• Making a payment
• Sharing sensitive information
• Allowing remote access

The victim believes they are doing something routine.

The victim complies

If the person responds as instructed, the attacker gains access, information, or control.
This could allow them to:

• Enter company systems
• Steal personal or financial information
• Move deeper into a network
• Commit fraud or impersonate the victim

Because the action came from a real user, security tools often don’t detect anything unusual.

Escalation and exploitation

After getting their initial foothold, attackers may:

• Install malware
• Launch ransomware
• Exfiltrate data
• Take over accounts
• Spread to other devices or departments

This is where the real damage happens. Social engineering attacks happen because attackers understand people, pressures, and blind spots. By manipulating trust or urgency, they can convince someone to open the door that technical security would normally keep shut.

Types of Social Engineering Attacks

Phishing

Phishing is one of the most common and damaging forms of social engineering. It involves tricking victims into divulging sensitive information, downloading malware, or performing actions that compromise security, all under the guise of a legitimate source. 

Attackers typically send emails, messages, or links that appear to come from a trusted source. These communications are designed to create a sense of urgency, fear, or curiosity, prompting the recipient to act quickly. Once the victim clicks a link or opens an attachment, the attacker can:

• Capture login credentials
• Install malware or ransomware
• Access sensitive personal or business data

Use the compromised account to target others

Vishing (Voice Phishing)

Vishing, short for voice phishing, is a type of social engineering attack conducted over the phone. Unlike phishing emails or messages, vishing relies on direct human interaction, making it highly personal and often more convincing. Attackers use the phone to manipulate victims into revealing sensitive information, transferring money, or taking actions that compromise security.

• Bank representatives
• IT support staff
• Government officials

They pressure targets into sharing sensitive information or performing actions, like transferring money or revealing passwords.

Smishing (SMS Phishing)

Smishing works like phishing, but via text messages. Attackers send messages that appear urgent or beneficial, for example:

• “Your bank account has been locked. Click here to unlock.”
• “You’ve won a prize, claim it now.”

Clicking the link or following instructions can lead to malware installation or credential theft. Smishing is especially effective because people tend to trust messages on their personal phones.

Pretexting

Pretexting is a social engineering attack where an attacker creates a believable story or scenario to gain trust and extract sensitive information. 

Unlike phishing, which relies on emails or links, pretexting focuses on convincing the victim that the request is legitimate, usually by posing as someone in authority or with an official reason to request information.

Attackers carefully plan a scenario that makes the victim feel obligated to comply. They often:

• Pose as company IT staff needing verification
• Pretend to be auditors or investigators
• Act as service providers requiring access for “maintenance”

Claim to be colleagues requesting sensitive data

Baiting

Baiting is a social engineering technique where attackers use something enticing, like a free item, exclusive access, or useful information, to trick victims into taking an action that risks their security. Unlike other methods that rely purely on deception or impersonation, baiting plays on curiosity, greed, and human impulsiveness.

The “bait” can be physical or digital, but the goal is the same: encourage the victim to interact with something that leads to malware installation, credential theft, or unauthorized access.

Tailgating / Piggybacking

Tailgating (also known as “piggybacking”) is a physical social engineering attack where an unauthorized person follows someone with legitimate access into a secure area. Instead of breaking in or bypassing security systems, the attacker relies on human politeness, exploiting people’s instinct to hold doors open or avoid confrontation.

This technique is especially dangerous because once inside, attackers can move freely, access sensitive information, or gain direct entry to systems without triggering digital defences. This can lead to physical theft or network compromise.

Impersonation

Impersonation is a highly deceptive form of social engineering where an attacker pretends to be a legitimate, trusted individual to gain information, access, or control. Unlike general pretexting, where the scenario itself is the focus, impersonation relies on acting, confidence, and copying the behavior or identity of someone the victim would naturally trust.

Attackers often target roles associated with authority or technical expertise because people are more likely to comply without questioning instructions. 

What is a Red Team Exercise?

A red team exercise is a controlled cybersecurity test where a group of ethical hackers (the red team) simulates real-world attacks to assess an organization’s ability to detect, respond to, and recover from threats. Instead of checking for individual vulnerabilities, a red team exercise focuses on full-scope attack scenarios, just like a genuine attacker would carry out.

A red team attempts to breach an organization using any combination of techniques, such as:

• Social engineering
• Exploiting technical vulnerabilities
• Physical intrusion
• Privilege escalation

Meanwhile, the blue team (the organization’s defenders) must stop the attacks without being told what’s coming.

The Role of Social Engineering in Red Teaming

Social engineering is a core component of many red team exercises because it targets the human layer, often the easiest and most impactful entry point for attackers. Effective social engineering relies on understanding behavior, exploiting emotions, and using covert tactics to bypass defences.

Focus on Human Behavior and Psychology

Red teamers begin by studying how employees behave day to day. This includes:

• Daily routines
• Workplace habits
• How staff interact with systems and technology
• Motivations such as convenience, helpfulness, fear, urgency, or authority

Understanding these patterns means that the red team can design highly convincing scenarios, whether that’s a tailored phishing email or an in-person impersonation attempt at the office door.

Manipulating Emotions, Trust, and Knowledge Gaps

Red team social engineering relies heavily on emotional triggers and cognitive shortcuts. These triggers can cause people to act quickly without pausing to consider risk. Common psychological levers include:

• Urgency (“Your account will be locked in 10 minutes”)
• Authority (impersonating an executive or IT support)
• Fear (warnings about payroll or security issues)
• Curiosity (unexpected files or USB drives)
• Helpfulness (requests for assistance or access)

These techniques test how employees behave under subtle pressure or stress, just as they would during a real cyberattack.

Covert Tactics Used to Exploit Human Vulnerabilities

To mimic real-world attackers, red teamers perform social engineering covertly. Common tactics include:

• Phishing emails that look legitimate and personalized
• Smishing and vishing to gather credentials or influence actions
• Pretexting to build trust before extracting sensitive information
• On-site impersonation to blend in with staff or contractors
• Tailgating by following authorized employees into restricted areas
• Baiting using malicious USB devices or enticing downloads

These activities test more than just employee awareness; they reveal weaknesses in physical security, internal processes, and detection capabilities.

Why Social Engineering Matters in Red Team Exercises

Social engineering is important because it reflects how real attackers operate, exploiting human behavior rather than just technical weaknesses. It uncovers risks that purely technical testing often misses.

Many breaches begin with human error rather than system flaws; in fact, Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows that 74% of breaches involve a human element, such as social engineering or stolen credentials. 

Social engineering exercises reveal gaps in training, policies, and verification procedures. They also demonstrate how quickly an attacker can escalate privileges once initial access is gained, highlighting the importance of both human awareness and organizational safeguards.

How Red Teamers Perform Social Engineering

Red teamers use social engineering to simulate how real attackers manipulate people rather than technology. Their approach is methodical, planned, and designed to uncover weaknesses in human behavior, processes, and trust.

1. Research and Reconnaissance

Before making any contact, red teamers gather detailed information about the target. This includes employee names, job roles, communication styles, internal processes, and technology used. The more they know, the more believable their approach becomes.

OSINT Tools:

• LinkedIn: Used to identify employees, job titles, team structures, and organizational details.
  
  
• Social media platforms (Facebook, X, Instagram): Useful for gathering personal information such as birthdays, pets, interests, and routines that can support personalized pretexts.
  
  

Company websites: Provide insights into staff contact details, email formats, technologies in use, and third‑party partnerships.

Building a Convincing Pretext

Red teamers craft a believable scenario, or “pretext”, designed to justify their request or presence. This could be posing as IT support, a delivery driver, a new employee, or a third‑party contractor. The pretext must be realistic enough to avoid suspicion.

Using Multiple Social Engineering Channels

Red teamers often combine different tactics to increase success rates, such as:

• Phishing: Sending convincing emails to gain credentials or install payloads.
• Vishing: Calling employees while posing as trusted staff or partners.
• Smishing: Sending urgent SMS messages to trigger quick reactions.
• Physical social engineering: Attempting to tailgate, badge cloning, or entering restricted areas.

Using multiple channels creates pressure and replicates real-world attack patterns.

Using Emotions and Urgency

They use psychological triggers such as fear, helpfulness, curiosity, or authority to influence decisions. For example, they might claim a system outage needs urgent credentials or that a manager requested immediate action.

Exploiting Gaps in Verification

Red teamers identify and test weak points in identity checks, access controls, or approval processes. If employees bypass verification “just this once,” the red teamer gains access—just as a real attacker would.

Testing Lateral Movement

Once they gain initial access, red teamers attempt to escalate privileges or move deeper into the environment. This might involve connecting to internal systems, accessing data, or demonstrating how far an attacker could go.

Reporting and Recommendations

 After the exercise, red teamers document what worked, what failed, and what risks were exposed. They then provide actionable recommendations to strengthen training, processes, and security controls.

Best Practices for Defending Against Social Engineering

Human behavior is often the weakest link in security. Organizations must adopt a proactive, multi-layered approach that combines employee awareness and a culture of vigilance. 

The following best practices provide practical guidance to reduce risk, strengthen defenses, and ensure staff are prepared to recognise and respond to social engineering attempts.

Educate and Train Employees

• Regular training sessions on common social engineering 
• Simulation exercises, like phishing tests, are used to assess awareness and reinforce training.
• Emphasise the importance of reporting suspicious activity without fear of blame.

Implement Strong Verification Procedures

• Always verify identities before sharing sensitive information or granting access.
  Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for accounts and systems 
• Establish formal protocols for requests involving sensitive data, money transfers, or system access.

Limit Data Exposure

• Employees should only have access to the information necessary for their role.
• Avoid sharing personal or corporate information publicly
• Implement data classification policies to control access to sensitive information.

Improve Technical Controls

• Use email and web filtering to detect phishing and malicious links.
• Keep software, operating systems, and security tools up to date
• Monitor and log suspicious activity for early detection.

Establish a Security Culture

• Encourage employees to question unusual requests
• Promote awareness of social engineering psychological tactics
• Reward proactive security behavior to reinforce vigilance.

Physical Security Measures

• Require ID badges and visitor logs to prevent tailgating or unauthorized entry.
• Secure sensitive areas with access control systems.
• Train staff to challenge unknown visitors politely.

Develop Incident Response Plans

• Create clear reporting channels for suspected social engineering attempts.
• Conduct post-incident reviews to understand weaknesses and improve defences.
• Maintain backups of critical data to reduce the impact of successful attacks.
  

Social engineering attacks succeed because they exploit human trust. A combination of training, strict procedures, technical safeguards, and a security-conscious culture is the most effective defense.

The Importance of Social Engineering in Red Team Operations

Social engineering is an important skill in red‑team operations. Red‑teamers combine psychological insight, influence techniques, and technical tools to deliver a realistic assessment of how resilient an organization truly is under pressure. That makes this capability immensely powerful,  but it also demands serious responsibility.

If you’d like to see how a full‑spectrum red‑team assessment can help you uncover hidden vulnerabilities and strengthen your defences, consider booking a demo with Rootshell Security. Our Red Team as a Service delivers simulated real‑world attacks, thorough reporting, and tailored recommendations.