SE - Social Engineering | ISGroup - Information Security Group

Social Engineering (SE)

The Social Engineering service offered by ISGroup is an essential component of your security assessment program. This service is designed to evaluate your company's resilience against social engineering threats through realistic simulated attacks, followed by targeted training to address identified gaps. Social engineering techniques exploit psychological manipulation to gain access to sensitive information or compromise corporate security, making it essential for employees to recognize and counter these attempts.

The goal of the Social Engineering service is twofold: on one hand, to test the organization's resilience against social engineering attacks through realistic simulations; on the other, to train staff to increase awareness and reduce the risk of successful attacks in the future.

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Phases of the Social Engineering Service

Preliminary Analysis of Historical Attacks and Industry Trends

Our approach to Social Engineering begins with an in-depth analysis of the history of social engineering attacks that the company has faced. This includes:

Review of Past Incidents: We analyze previous attack attempts, whether successful or thwarted, to better understand the specific vulnerabilities of the organization and its employees.
Industry Benchmarking: We examine social engineering attacks that have occurred in other organizations similar in industry or operational context. This analysis allows us to identify common threat patterns and predict possible future scenarios.
Monitoring General Trends: We pay particular attention to the latest social engineering techniques emerging globally, using this information to inform and customize attack simulations and training.

This phase allows us to gain a comprehensive view of the threat landscape the company faces, ensuring that our assessment is highly relevant and targeted.

Simulated Attack (Security Assessment)

The simulated attack phase is the core of our Social Engineering service and aims to test your company's resilience against social engineering threats, focusing on the most critical departments and business functions. The attacks are designed to test the responsiveness and readiness of employees in sectors most susceptible to such threats, with the possibility of adapting simulations to specific company needs, such as the Logistics department or other strategic functions.

Executive and Management

Executives and management members are often the primary targets of social engineering attacks due to their access to critical information and their ability to authorize financial and strategic decisions. Our simulated attacks include scenarios such as spear phishing, whaling attempts, and targeted vishing to test the executives' ability to recognize and repel these attempts.

Administration

The administrative department handles sensitive data, including financial and personal documents, and is often subject to phishing and pretexting attempts. Through simulated attacks, we test the readiness of administrative staff to identify and prevent unauthorized access to confidential information.

Procurement/Purchasing

The purchasing department is particularly vulnerable to social engineering scams, such as Business Email Compromise (BEC), where attackers attempt to manipulate the payment or supply process. We simulate scenarios where employees are contacted by fake suppliers or receive fraudulent payment requests, to assess their ability to validate the authenticity of requests.

IT (Information Technology)

The IT department is a key target, as it is responsible for managing the technical infrastructure and security systems. Simulated attacks on this department include phishing and vishing attempts aimed at gaining access to system credentials or inducing IT technicians to perform harmful actions, such as installing malicious software or modifying security configurations.

The simulations use various social engineering techniques, targeting departments based on their function and the data they handle. Each department is tested against the most relevant threats. The attacks are conducted under real conditions, and the results provide a clear understanding of the organization's ability to protect itself from internal and external threats.

Training and Improvement (Post-Attack)

After completing the simulated attack phase, we move on to the training phase, where the results obtained are used to improve corporate security. This phase includes:

Debriefing Sessions: Employees are informed about the results of the simulated attacks, with a detailed analysis of the techniques used and the signals they should have identified.
Customized Training: Tailored training courses are organized, based on the specific vulnerabilities identified during the simulations. Employees learn common social engineering tactics, methods to recognize them, and best practices for responding effectively.
Interactive Workshops: Through practical workshops, employees have the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned, facing simulated scenarios that reflect real situations.

The training aims to increase employee awareness, improving the entire organization's ability to defend against future attacks.

Review and Improvement of Business Processes and Policies

The final phase of our service is dedicated to reviewing and improving business processes and internal policies to make the company more resilient against social engineering threats. This phase includes:

Review of Security Policies: We analyze and update company policies to ensure they include specific protective measures against social engineering risks. A more robust risk management is integrated into the company's Information Security Management System (ISMS), in line with best practices and standards such as ISO/IEC 27001.
Optimization of Operational Processes: We evaluate and improve operational processes to ensure that business procedures minimize the opportunities for successful social engineering attacks. This may include the introduction of new controls, verification procedures, and updates to internal communication practices.
Continuous Monitoring: We provide recommendations for implementing continuous monitoring of social engineering activities, ensuring that the company can detect and respond promptly to any new attack attempts.

This final phase aims to strengthen the company's resilience not only through training and awareness but also by integrating preventive and corrective measures at the policy and process level.

Strengths of ISGroup's Service

The ISGroup team uses an integrated and tailored approach, combining historical attack analysis, realistic simulated attacks, customized training, and the review of business processes and policies. This approach not only allows for identifying current weaknesses but also strengthens defenses against social engineering threats, ensuring that the organization is well-prepared to face real attacks.

Our service is fully compliant with security and regulatory compliance requirements, including ISO/IEC 27001 standards, ensuring that your company not only meets regulatory obligations but also maintains a proactive security posture against internal and external threats.

Output

The output of the Social Engineering service consists of three main documents:

Executive Summary
A non-technical document intended for Management that provides an overview of the results of the simulated attacks, the main vulnerabilities identified, and strategic recommendations to improve security against social engineering threats. This report offers an overview of corporate resilience, facilitating informed decision-making at the managerial level.

Simulation Attack Report
A detailed report of the simulated attacks conducted, with an analysis of employee performance in various departments. The document includes identified vulnerabilities, comparison with industry best practices, and specific suggestions on how to improve operational readiness. This report serves as a basis for understanding critical areas and planning corrective interventions.

Comprehensive Improvement Plan
An integrated plan that combines employee training with the improvement of business policies and processes. This document provides guidelines for developing staff awareness and strengthening corporate defenses against social engineering, ensuring that preventive measures are effectively integrated into the Information Security Management System (ISMS).