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Humans: The weakest link in social engineering and cyber attacks

Because social engineering is an evolving risk, conduct insurance policy reviews often to ensure that business clients are adequately protected should they fall victim to social engineering fraud.

By James W. Gow Jr., CPCU, AU | Updated on May 22, 2017
The most important line of defense, in addition to business insurance coverage, is to educate employees about these threats and put in place protocols that help prevent social engineering attacks. (Photo: Shutterstock)

We’re all human; we make mistakes. But there are plenty of people out there trying to take advantage of a simple mistake that could cost a business millions of dollars.

Social engineering is the act of taking advantage of human behavior — or that one little mistake — to steal confidential information. It’s a scam that has been around for decades but it’s become a bigger problem thanks to the internet and the rise of various forms of electronic communication. In fact, 60 percent of businesses fell victim to a social engineering attack in 2016.

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