Top Strategies to Prevent Social Engineering Attacks

TL;DR

With 98% of cyberattacks involving social engineering tactics and losses reaching $2.77 billion in 2024, combined with the fact that the cloud provides users with a single credential that provides access to multiple resources in AWS, Azure, and SaaS platforms, it stands to reason that any compromise of social engineering techniques in a cloud environment increases the risk substantially.

Key Takeaways

• 98% of cyberattacks use social engineering tactics making your employees the primary attack surface
• BEC attacks increased 103% year-over-year, with median losses reaching $50,000 per incident
• One stolen credential grants access to cloud resources; 69% of organizations experience phishing-based identity incidents
• Phishing click-through time averages just 21 seconds, giving security teams minimal time to react before credentials are compromised
• Traditional annual training fails to prevent risky security actions, with 71% of employees engaging in risky behaviors despite completing training

Introduction

Last Tuesday, a finance manager at a mid-sized SaaS company received an urgent Slack message from "the CFO." The profile photo matched. The writing style seemed right. The request came through the company's verified Slack workspace—immediate wire transfer approval needed for a time-sensitive acquisition.

She approved the $4.2 million transfer. By Wednesday morning, the money was gone. The "CFO" was a deepfake created by AI. The attackers spent three weeks mapping the organization's cloud attack surface: identifying key personnel through LinkedIn, documenting communication patterns from public GitHub repos, and discovering exposed Azure AD configurations. They didn't hack the firewall. They hacked the human.

What is a Social Engineering Attack?

A social engineering attack occurs when someone tricks you into giving up access instead of breaking through your defenses. The attacker doesn't need to exploit software vulnerabilities or bypass firewalls, they just need to manipulate the right person at the right time.

What are the Common Signs of Social Engineering Attacks?

Urgency and Pressure

Attackers create artificial deadlines. "Wire this payment in the next hour" or "Your account will be suspended unless you verify now." Real requests rarely demand instant action without proper channels.

Unusual Requests from Familiar Contacts

Your boss is asking for gift cards over email. A vendor requesting payment to a new bank account via Slack. If the request feels off, it probably is. Verify through a separate communication channel.

Suspicious Links or Attachments

Phishing emails often include links to fake login pages or malicious attachments. Hover over links before clicking: does the URL match the sender's domain? Be especially cautious with shortened URLs that hide the destination.

Requests for Credentials or Sensitive Information

Legitimate companies never ask for passwords, MFA codes, or security questions via email or chat. IT teams don't call asking for your login details. If someone does, it's a red flag.

Generic Greetings and Poor Grammar

While sophisticated attacks are well written, many phishing attempts still use "Dear Customer" or contain obvious spelling errors. But don't rely on this alone; AI-powered attacks now produce flawless, personalized messages.

Mismatched Sender Information

An email from "[email protected]" instead of "[email protected]." Display names that match executives but email addresses that don't. Always verify the actual email address, not just the display name.

How to Avoid Social Engineering Attacks

Verify Before You Trust

When you receive an unexpected request, especially involving money, credentials, or sensitive data, verify through a separate communication channel. Call the person directly using a known number. Don't reply to the suspicious message.

Use Phishing-Resistant MFA

Standard SMS or email-based two-factor authentication can be bypassed through SIM swapping, man-in-the-middle attacks, or social engineering. Use hardware security keys (FIDO2/WebAuthn) or platform biometrics that cryptographically bind authentication to specific domains. This blocks credential phishing and replay attacks even if users are tricked into entering credentials on fake login pages.

Limit Public Information Exposure

Attackers use LinkedIn, GitHub, and public organizational charts to identify targets. Reduce what's publicly visible about your team structure, technology stack, and internal processes. Conduct regular OSINT audits to see what attackers can find.

Implement Email Security Protocols

Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prevent email spoofing. Use email filtering to sandbox suspicious links and attachments. Monitor for lookalike domains that mimic your company name.

Practice Continuous Security Awareness

Annual training doesn't work. Run monthly simulated phishing campaigns with immediate feedback. Studies show organizations using regular simulations reduce phishing click rates by up to 76% within months.

Apply Least Privilege and Zero Trust

Limit what any single compromised account can access. Use conditional access policies that consider device health, location, and behavior. Implement just-in-time access for privileged operations that expire automatically.

Monitor for Compromised Credentials

Track exposed passwords on the dark web and breach databases. Force password resets when credentials appear in known breaches. Use services like Have I Been Pwned to monitor corporate email addresses, and consider enterprise credential monitoring solutions that provide real-time alerts and automated response workflows.

How Can People be Safe from Social Engineering Attacks?

Question Unusual Requests

If your manager asks for something out of the ordinary via email or chat, verify it: Call them. Walk to their desk. Attackers count on people following authority without questioning.

Slow Down Under Pressure

Urgency is a manipulation tactic. Real emergencies still allow time to verify. Take 60 seconds to confirm before acting on time-sensitive requests involving money or access credentials.

Hover before Clicking

Before clicking any link, hover over it to see the actual URL. Does it match the expected domain? Be especially cautious with shortened links that obscure the destination.

Never Share Credentials

Your password, MFA codes, and security answers are never requested by legitimate services via email, chat, or phone. IT teams don't call asking for your login information. If someone does, report it immediately.

Report Suspicious Activity

When you receive a phishing attempt (even if you didn't fall for it), report it to your security team. One person's near-miss helps protect everyone else. Use your organization's reporting tools or forward suspicious emails to security@yourcompany.

Use Unique Passwords for Each Service

A password manager generates and stores unique passwords for every account. If one service is breached, attackers can't reuse those credentials elsewhere. This blocks credential stuffing attacks.

Understand OAuth Permissions

When a third-party app asks to 'Sign in with Google' or 'Connect to your Microsoft account,' review what permissions it's requesting. Does a simple productivity tool really need access to read all your emails?

Keep Personal and Work Accounts Separate

Don't use your work email for personal services. Breaches of consumer services shouldn't give attackers a path into your corporate environment.

How Do Social Engineering Attack Vectors Interact with the Human Elements of an Organization's Attack Surface?

Humans are the Access Point

• Every employee, contractor, vendor, and user who connects to your systems expands your attack surface.
• Cloud environments accelerate this expansion exponentially. Cloud environments enable rapid expansion of the attack surface. 
• Individuals work from home with their own devices, utilize third-party tools, and do not always remember the risks associated with these activities.

Human-Created Credentials and Time Pressure

• Access credentials, app permissions, and API keys are created and managed by humans, often under time pressure that increases the risk of misconfigurations.
• These actions are often made under time restrictions
• Rather than exploit technology, they simply persuade someone with access to the system to let them in.

Exploiting Human Biases

• Urgency makes people act without thinking. 
• Authority compels compliance. 
• Social proof creates misplaced trust. 
• Fear drives hasty decisions. 

Sophistication in Cloud Environments

• Fake OAuth prompts, compromised Slack/Microsoft Teams accounts, and spoofed SaaS login pages trick users into handing over access.
• Privileged accounts are especially targeted, with 66% of phishing attacks aimed at high-value identities such as administrators, finance personnel, and executives who have access to sensitive systems and data.

Common Vectors

• Phishing and spear phishing hit 73% of organizations, often within seconds.
• Pretexting and impersonation now account for half of all attacks. 
• BEC and vishing are rising sharply as attackers find ways around email defenses.

OSINT and AI-Backed Reconnaissance

• Attackers map organizational hierarchies, document communication patterns, and identify technical infrastructure details.
• Threat actors use AI to accelerate target profiling and personalization at scale. 

Real-World Case

• One Hong Kong company lost $25.6 million when attackers used deepfake video to impersonate the CFO during a video conference call. The finance team saw and heard their CFO, or so they thought.

How Do I Protect Against Social Engineering Attacks in a Cloud Environment?

Stopping every social engineering attack is impossible, but you can limit the damage with layered defenses across technology, people, and visibility.

Technical protections

• Phishing-resistant MFA using FIDO2/WebAuthn standards
• Conditional access blocking unusual locations or devices
• Email filtering and sandboxing suspicious links
• Domain monitoring for lookalike phishing sites
• Privileged access controls and CASB for SaaS oversight

Zero trust & least privilege

• Continuous verification for all sessions
• Context-aware access based on device, location, and behavior
• Just-in-time access for temporary privileges
• Session monitoring to catch unusual activity

Reducing human attack surface

• Limit public org charts and employee info
• Scan public repos for exposed credentials
• Secure email patterns with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
• Regular OSINT audits to understand what attackers can see

Building a security-aware culture

• Move beyond annual training with continuous, bite-sized education
• Monthly simulated phishing campaigns with instant feedback
• Studies show consistent simulations cut real phishing clicks by 76%

Cloud-specific defenses

• Audit OAuth and third-party app permissions
• Continuously monitor SaaS configurations
• Train DevOps teams on container and CI/CD risks
• Use secrets management to keep credentials out of code

Detection & response

• UEBA flags unusual activity in real-time
• SIEM correlates events to spot compromised accounts
• Automated response disables risky accounts immediately
• Post-incident analysis strengthens defenses over time

The Role of Attack Surface Intelligence in Preventing Social Engineering

Documenting Access is a Critical First Step 

To reduce risk, security teams can request that all access be documented:

• Who has access
• What systems or data they access
• When access was granted

Types of access to track include:

• Employees
• Contractors
• Vendors
• Third-party tools

Over-Permissioned Environments Increase Risk

• Many organizations maintain a broader level of access than necessary.
• Vendor user accounts often remain enabled long after project completion.
• As cloud environments evolve, the number of users and resources grows rapidly.

Not Every Account Carries the Same Risk

• Some people have access to far more sensitive systems than others.
• Certain cloud resources are far more attractive to attackers. 
• Third-party integrations can quietly introduce supply-chain risk. 
• Public information such as job roles, organizational charts, and technology stacks provides attackers with reconnaissance data for targeted social engineering campaigns.

How to Enable Continuous Intelligence

Secure.com's Digital Security Teammates augments your security team by providing:

• Continuous visibility into cloud resources and access permissions. 
• Risky permissions are flagged automatically for review. 
• Identity systems like Azure AD, Okta, and Google Workspace are monitored. 
• Security teams maintain human-in-the-loop governance, with automated recommendations requiring approval before execution.

Secure.com's Digital Security Teammates provide:

• Continuous visibility into cloud resources and access permissions.
• Risky permissions are flagged automatically for security team review and remediation.
• Identity systems like Azure AD, Okta, and Google Workspace are monitored.
• Security teams maintain human-in-the-loop governance for high-impact changes
• With automated recommendations requiring approval before execution. 
• The result is fewer blind spots and fewer easy wins for attackers.

Real-World Social Engineering Defense

A mid-sized financial services company with 2,500 employees experienced a surge in social engineering attacks. With teams spread across AWS, Azure, Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Slack (and a hybrid workforce) they had already lost $890,000 to a single phishing incident.

The root issue wasn’t a lack of tools, but a growing human attack surface. Employees worked from personal devices, shadow IT had introduced 47 unsanctioned SaaS apps, contractors kept access long after projects ended, and third-party vendors connected directly to core systems. Annual security training wasn’t helping—phishing click rates stayed stuck at 23%.

They shifted to a layered, people-aware defense. Phishing-resistant MFA was rolled out across cloud apps. CASB brought visibility into sanctioned and unsanctioned SaaS use. Privileged access moved to just-in-time with automatic expiration. Annual training was replaced with monthly phishing simulations and quick, targeted follow-ups. OAuth permissions were audited automatically, and compromised credentials were monitored in real time.

Within six months, measurable results emerged: phishing click rates dropped from 23% to 4% (an 83% reduction), mean time to detect fell from eight hours to 12 minutes (96% faster), and over-privileged accounts decreased by 67%. 

Most importantly, zero successful BEC incidents occurred in the following year, while employee reporting of suspicious activity increased significantly—shifting the security culture from passive to proactive.

Financially, it was an easy decision. The earlier $890,000 loss was nearly twice their annual security budget. Preventing just one more incident paid for the program—while actually reducing day-to-day workload for the security team.

FAQs

Conclusion

Technical controls protect infrastructure, while social engineering targets people. In cloud environments where identity is the perimeter, the human element becomes your largest attack surface component. 

The organizations succeeding aren't trying to prevent every social engineering attempt. They're limiting what compromised credentials can access through zero trust architecture, continuous monitoring, and attack surface intelligence. 

Because when your employees are the perimeter, security becomes everyone's responsibility, not just IT's problem. And in that shared responsibility model, visibility into your human-cloud attack surface makes the difference between containment and catastrophe.