It’s no surprise that humans are at the center of cyber attacks. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: they’re not just victims—they’re often the weakest link in an organization’s cybersecurity chain. While cybercriminals might spend months trying to crack your technical defenses, they know they can often achieve the same result in minutes by sending a carefully crafted phishing email to an unsuspecting employee.
The good news is that the neglected nature of human defenses makes them low-hanging fruit for security improvements, one that can deliver an immediate and dramatic improvement to your overall security posture—often at a fraction of the cost of technical solutions.
A Closer Look at the Human Defenses Gap
The scale of the human security challenge is staggering. According to Proofpoint’s 2024 State of the Phish report, 71% of employees admit to engaging in risky online behavior despite almost always being fully aware of the potential dangers. When pressed about their risky behavior, employees cited convenience, time-saving, and a sense of urgency as their primary motivations for bypassing security measures.
This human vulnerability hasn’t gone unnoticed by cybercriminals. Modern attacks increasingly rely on social engineering rather than technical exploitation. Business email compromise attacks, which prey on human trust and urgency, now cost U.S. businesses $2.7 billion annually—dramatically overshadowing the $34 million lost to ransomware attacks. Attackers have also grown more sophisticated in their approach, with Proofpoint detecting an average of 66 million business email compromise attempts and 10 million telephone-oriented attack delivery (TOAD) incidents each month.
The problem is compounded by organizations’ over-reliance on technical solutions. A concerning 89% of security professionals surveyed believe that multi-factor authentication (MFA) alone can protect them against account takeover attempts. Yet attackers are now launching over a million MFA bypass attacks monthly using tools like EvilProxy. This misplaced confidence in technical solutions leaves organizations vulnerable precisely where they need protection most—at the human level.
Effective Strategies for Strengthening Your Organization’s Human Defenses
Building robust human defenses requires a multi-layered approach that combines ongoing training with smart policies and practical safeguards.
Regular Cybersecurity Awareness Sessions and Phishing Exercises
While the fact that many employees knowingly engage in risky behavior might seem discouraging when it comes to spending time and money on cybersecurity awareness sessions, there’s another way to look at it: almost a third of employees do follow best practices when they understand both the practices themselves and the risks involved.
That’s why organizations with robust security awareness programs consistently show better resilience against social engineering attacks. The finance industry has recently demonstrated this by reducing their phishing failure rates from 16% in 2022 to 9% through focused training efforts, as revealed in Proofpoint’s report.
The key to effective security awareness training lies in its regularity and relevance. Rather than conducting annual compliance-focused sessions that employees quickly forget, organizations should implement monthly or quarterly sessions that address current threats and recent incidents. The sessions should include real-world examples of social engineering attempts, preferably ones that have actually targeted other organizations in the same industry or region. When employees can relate the training to their daily work experience, they’re more likely to retain and apply the information.
It’s always a good idea to complement cybersecurity awareness sessions with simulated phishing exercises that provide practical experience in identifying and reporting suspicious messages. However, it’s important that the exercises are not designed to trick or shame employees. Instead, they should serve as learning opportunities that help staff develop better threat detection instincts.
Clear Verification Policies and Reporting Procedures
The “trust but verify” approach is essential when it comes to sensitive business operations. Organizations should implement clear, non-negotiable verification policies that create pause points in high-risk processes, such as those involving financial transactions or sensitive data requests.
For example, organizations can implement dual authorization requirements for financial transactions above set thresholds. This simple policy can dramatically reduce the success rate of business email compromise attacks, which often rely on creating artificial urgency to push through fraudulent payments.
Similarly, organizations should require mandatory phone or in-person verification for sensitive requests, particularly those involving changes to payment details, large transfers, or access to confidential information. A quick voice confirmation with a known contact using a previously verified phone number can stop many social engineering attempts in their tracks.
In addition to having verification policies that cover the most dangerous transactions and requests, it’s also paramount to establish employee-friendly reporting procedures that encourage them to flag anything that seems off—even if they’re not entirely sure it’s suspicious. The reporting process should be simple, accessible, and—most importantly—free from negative consequences for false positives. When employees know they won’t be criticized for raising concerns that turn out to be legitimate business activities, they’re more likely to report genuine threats.
Employee Identification and Access Control
Not all social engineering attacks are launched from a hacker’s lair halfway around the world. Sometimes, the threat is as close as the person walking through your office door.
Indeed, one of the most common physical social engineering techniques is tailgating, where an attacker casually follows an employee into a secure area, banking on the natural courtesy of holding the door open. More brazen attackers might don fake uniforms and confidently announce themselves as technicians who have arrived for scheduled maintenance—betting that busy employees will assume someone else arranged the service call.
To defend against these and other physical social engineering attempts, organizations need strong identification and access control policies. While requiring employees to wear ID badges might be overkill for smaller organizations, it’s still important to control access to sensitive areas like server rooms, storage areas with valuable equipment, or offices containing confidential information. Something as simple as electronic keypads or card readers on these specific doors can prevent an attacker from sweet-talking their way into restricted areas.
Most importantly, create a culture where it’s normal and expected to question unfamiliar faces or unusual activity. Employees should feel empowered to verify someone’s identity and purpose for being there, even if it means potentially awkward interactions because a moment of social discomfort is a small price to pay for protecting your organization’s assets and information.
Conclusion
With social engineering attacks becoming more cunning and frequent, it’s clear that technology alone isn’t enough to safeguard your organization. By investing in your people through education, policy, and practical security measures, you turn them from potential vulnerabilities into your strongest line of defense.
Don’t let your business be the next headline for a social engineering exploit. Start fortifying your human defenses today. At OSIbeyond, we specialize in transforming your team into cybersecurity champions. Schedule a consultation with us to assess your current security posture and learn more about how we can help strengthen your human defenses against social engineering attacks.