Glossary
Social Engineering
The psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information, exploiting trust, urgency, authority, or fear rather than technical vulnerabilities. Phishing, pretexting, and baiting are all forms of social engineering.
// Recent coverage mentioning Social Engineering
Clover Health Investments Data Breach: Social Engineering Compromises Employee Accounts
Clover Health Investments reports a data breach impacting personal and health information after social engineering tactics compromised employee accounts.
Scattered Spider Member Tyler Buchanan Pleads Guilty in US
Tyler Buchanan, a British national linked to the Scattered Spider cybercrime group, pleaded guilty in the US to charges of hacking, fraud, and cryptocurrency theft.
UNC1069 Social Engineering Leads to Axios npm Supply Chain Compromise
Runtime Rebel details how North Korean threat actor UNC1069 leveraged targeted social engineering against an Axios npm package maintainer, leading to a critical supply…
Drift Protocol Hacked for $285M via Durable Nonce Attack
Solana-based DEX Drift Protocol lost $285 million due to a social engineering and durable nonce attack, leading to Security Council takeover.
Routine Access Powers Intrusions: VPNs & RMM Tools Abused
Blackpoint Cyber's report reveals modern intrusions leverage routine access via compromised credentials, VPN abuse, RMM tools, and social engineering, not exploits.
CVE-2026-2417: Pharos Controls RCE via Missing Authentication
Critical vulnerability (CVE-2026-2417) in Pharos Controls Mosaic Show Controller firmware 2.15.3 allows unauthenticated root RCE. Upgrade to 2.16+ immediately.