Horizontal3

Social Engineering & Human Attack Surface Testing

Find the Human Gaps Before Attackers Do. Phishing, vishing, pretexting, in-person and supply-chain social tests by senior red-teamers. We test people, processes and culture — then harden detection, training and governance.

red_team_small
Book a Free Discovery Call
cyber_wondering

Why technical security isn’t enough

Most security programs harden code and networks — and then lose the human layer. Social engineering remains the most reliable way for attackers to breach organizations: credential theft, wire-fraud, insider manipulation and supply-chain compromise all start with people. If your program lacks realistic human testing and measurable remediation, a single social exploit can bypass technical controls.

What is Social Engineering Testing?

Controlled, authorized tests that simulate real human-targeted attacks (phishing emails, voice-based deception, SMS/whatsapp fraud, in-person pretexting, supplier manipulation). We combine red-team tradecraft with behavioral science and metrics to measure susceptibility, reporting fidelity and remediation effectiveness — without embarrassing your people.

Who this is for

A — Executive & Risk Owners (Board / COO / CISO)

  • Validate controls that prevent fraud, regulatory exposure and reputational loss.

  • Get board-level metrics on human risk and ROI for training budgets.

B — HR, Product & Marketing / Dev Teams (Product Owners, HR Directors)

  • Ensure product launches, campaigns and vendor onboarding aren’t attack vectors.

  • Harden onboarding, offboarding and privileged access processes.

Methodology — realistic, safe, measurable

  1. Scope & PIRs: Define high-value targets & business-critical workflows (finance, HR, customer support).

  2. Threat modeling (actor profiles): From opportunistic fraudsters to organised BEC/fraud rings.

  3. Attack campaigns: Phishing (spear + mass), vishing, smishing, pretext calls, physical access attempts, supplier compromise scenarios.

  4. Hybrid automation + manual craft: Automated phishing frameworks for scale + bespoke manual social exploits for high-fidelity scenarios.

  5. Detection & response testing: Validate reporting pathways, IR playbooks, escalation, and legal/compliance flags.

  6. Remediation cycle: Targeted training, process hardening, retest & verification.

Purple path — turning human tests into organizational improvement

We don’t stop at vulnerability counts. Every campaign becomes input for:

  • Playbooks for IR and SOC (how a reported phish must be handled).

  • Targeted micro-training for at-risk cohorts.

  • Process fixes (onboarding, vendor checks, payment validation).

  • Retest certificates to prove improvement.

Deliverables

  • Executive risk brief with KPI dashboard (susceptibility, report rate, time-to-report).

  • Campaign technical appendix (email headers, call transcripts, evidence).

  • Detection & response evaluation (who reported, how escalated).

  • Remediation roadmap & training plan.

  • Retest report and verification certificate.

  • Optional anonymized employee awareness leaderboard (for internal improvement, not public shaming).

Pricing models (high-level)

  • One-off Campaign: scoped phishing + vishing + detection test (2–4 weeks).

  • Retainer (Recommended): quarterly campaigns, continuous awareness micro-training, retests.

  • PTaaS Add-on: continuous simulated phishing, program dashboards, SME support for SOC/IR.

Beyond the test — program integration

  • Stakeholder coordination: we schedule campaigns with HR, Legal, and Communications to avoid surprise and ensure safety.

  • IT-GRC integration: findings map into ServiceNow/Jira workflows with owner & SLA.

  • Annual program planning: forecast campaigns from ISMS/asset criticality.

FAQs

  1. How do you define the scope for social engineering tests?
    Scope is set from business PIRs: critical functions (finance, HR), high-value roles, external suppliers and customer-facing teams. We co-author Rules of Engagement with HR & Legal to avoid safety and privacy issues.

  2. Will social engineering tests embarrass employees?
    No. Tests are designed with dignity: evidence is collected for remediation, not public shaming. Reports focus on systems, processes and coaching opportunities rather than individual blame.

  3. Can these tests disrupt operations or violate law?
    Never. All campaigns require written authorization, legal review and agreed maintenance windows. Physical tests follow safety protocols and do not involve illegal acts.

  4. Do you provide training after tests?
    Yes. We deliver targeted micro-training, role-based coaching, and communications scripts. Training is paired with retests to verify behavior change.

  5. How quickly can you run a campaign?
    Typical scoped campaigns run in 2–4 weeks. Retainer customers can schedule immediate campaigns (24–72 hours) subject to pre-agreed rules.