When people think about cyber threats, they often imagine some high-tech wizardry. But many of today’s most successful cyber attacks don’t involve complex code, they involve people.

Social engineering is the art of manipulating someone into handing over access, information, or control – without ever touching a line of malware. And for UK businesses, it’s one of the most common, and costly, ways breaches occur.

To truly understand how these social engineering attacks happen (and how to stop them), it helps to look at them from three different points of view:

The Attacker: Charming, Clever, Calculated

A social engineering threat actor doesn’t need to be a technical genius. They just need to be believable.

They might pose as a supplier chasing a payment. An IT support rep doing “routine maintenance”. Or even your company’s own Director asking for help urgently. Their weapons of choice? Urgency, flattery, fear, and curiosity.

Examples we’re seeing more of in the UK:

• A spoofed email from “HMRC” asking for a password reset.

• A phone call claiming to be your broadband provider needing remote access.

• A courier turning up at reception asking to plug in a “demo device”.

These attacks succeed not because your people aren’t clever, but because they’re human. And attackers are counting on that.

The Victim: Just Doing Their Job

Here’s the tough part. The person who gets caught out by a social engineering attack is often trying to do the right thing.

They’re being helpful. Responsive. Professional. They want to keep things moving, not slow everything down with suspicion.

And when someone sounds like they know what they’re talking about, and they’ve got just enough believable detail? It’s easy to fall into the trap.

The aftermath is often guilt and embarrassment. But we need to remove the blame culture here. Because when attacks rely on psychology, not technology, anyone can be a target.

The Managed Service Provider: The Trusted Shield

As your MSP, our job isn’t just to manage your IT, it’s to help you spot what the tech can’t always see.

We help by:

• Training your staff to recognise the warning signs of manipulation.

• Putting in layered security controls – like multi-factor authentication and access restrictions – to limit the damage if something does slip through.

• Monitoring unusual behaviour – like logins from unexpected locations or times.

• Creating clear processes – so nobody should ever be asked to break the rules, even by someone “important”.

We also work closely with you to build a culture where people feel confident asking questions and reporting concerns, not ashamed or unsure.

💬 Final Thought: It’s Not About Blame – It’s About Readiness

Social engineering attacks aren’t going anywhere. But with the right awareness, support, and tools in place, they don’t have to succeed.

At ERGOS, we don’t believe in scaring people into better behaviour. We believe in empowering them. Because when your team understands how these tricks work, they’re far less likely to fall for them.

Let’s talk about how we can make your business more resilient – not by making people perfect, but by making your systems and culture smarter.

To  understand more, see what the National Cyber Security Centre has to say: Social Media and Social Engineering

For further information from Ergos, contact us here.

www.ergos.uk