Tactic or Technique: Social engineering

Social engineering targets people instead of systems. Attackers use persuasion, pressure, or emotional cues to get you to act quickly and bypass security tools without realizing it.

Messages often create urgency, mimic authority figures, or feel familiar enough to lower your guard. An attacker might pose as your manager asking for a quick favor, reference a recent company event, or claim your account is about to be locked. These tricks are designed to feel legitimate and get you to respond without verifying the request.

Common approaches include pretexting, where attackers invent a believable scenario; baiting, where they offer something enticing; or quid pro quo, where they offer help in exchange for access. Even a single successful interaction can lead to broader compromise, including data theft, ransomware, or a full network breach.