Why Social Engineering Works: The Psychology Behind a Hack

27.08.25

General

When we think of a cyber crime, we often picture a shadowy figure hunched over a keyboard in a bedroom, cracking passwords. But many of the most successful cyber attacks don’t involve technical wizardry, they exploit something far more susceptible – human psychology. 

This is the art of social engineering. But why does it work so well? 

At its core, social engineering is psychological manipulation. It’s the act of tricking someone into giving up confidential information, clicking malicious links, or performing actions that compromise security. 

Attackers use persuasion, deception and emotional triggers to bypass firewalls, anti-virus software, and even two-factor authentication to trick people every day to share confidential information.  

Let’s break down the psychological levers that social engineers pull: 

We’re conditioned to comply with figures of authority, whether that’s a CEO, a bank representative, or an IT support technician. If a message looks official or urgent, people are more likely to act without questioning it. 

‘Hi, I’m from IT and we’ve detected a security issue on your device. Click this link so we can fix it.‘ 

It’s a simple line, but when it comes from someone perceived as an expert, it bypasses our internal warning system. 

Social engineers understand that people like to reciprocate. They might offer to help, praise, or even a freebie to lower a guard. Or they’ll exploit your curiosity with subject lines like ‘Salary review attached’ or ‘Urgent: HR Policy Update’. 

We’re hardwired to open, click and respond. 

People are more likely to trust communications that appear to come from colleagues, friends, or popular platforms. This is why impersonation is so common in phishing and business email compromise. 

Attackers will study LinkedIn, social media and company websites to convincingly mimic internal conversations. And because the message feels familiar, it slips through unnoticed. 

Deepfake video impersonations are a game changer. Even seasoned cyber security professionals can be duped. The Arup case in 2024 demonstrated that a seemingly routine executive video meeting could actually be an AI-fabricated scam. The victim followed instructions to transfer funds, believing falsely that they were acting on a directive from a senior team member. Attacks such as these bypass even strong technical defences by targeting our trust reflexes directly. 

Voice phishing has also evolved significantly over the last few years. Today’s criminals can clone voices with just seconds of audio, mimicking CEOs or colleagues to demand money urgently. In the UK, energy executives and engineering firms have lost six-figure sums to vishing scams. Most victims believe they’re talking with someone they trust, emotional triggers like urgency and fear take over rational thoughts, even when logic warns otherwise. 

Crime-as-a-service tools like AI speech synthesis and large-language model scripts allow attackers to automate personalisation at scale. Scammers can now send tailored voice messages or phishing emails that feel contextually accurate and emotionally resonant, without the need to craft each one individually. Experiments show that many recipients can’t detect synthetic audio or video, making this an extremely effective tool in building trust quickly. 

Even cyber-aware employees can still succumb to a well-crafted social engineering attack. That’s because these attacks aren’t just about tricking people. They’re about exploiting natural human tendencies. 

Security awareness training is vital, but it needs to go beyond ticking a compliance box. Training should be engaging, regular and simulate real-world scenarios to help staff feel emotional manipulation in a safe environment. Our Cyber Skills Academy can help with a range of tailored training and upskilling choices, to suit organisations of every shape and size.

Here’s where cyber psychology comes in. 

So, how do we protect people in our organisations? 

Encourage staff to report suspicious activity, even if they click on something by accident. Fear of punishment delays response and worsens damage. 

Show how social engineering affects not just businesses, but also individuals through identity theft, scams and emotional distress. 

Real-life examples stick better. Talk about the CEO who transferred £100k to a fraudster posing as a supplier. Or the charity that almost had to close due to a phishing email. According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025, 85% of UK businesses and 86% of charities experienced phishing attacks over the past year, making phishing the most common and disruptive method.* 

Strong security tools help, but they’re most effective when paired with empowered, informed people. 

Cyber security isn’t just a technical problem. It’s a human one. Social engineering works because it preys on who we are: trusting, curious, helpful and distracted. 

To fight back, we need to understand our own psychology. When we know we are being manipulated, we can start to resist. 

If you are interested in developing the cyber culture in your organisation, why not become a member of the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland? We can help you stay one step ahead of cyber attacks.

Our Cadre of Incident Response organisations can help with legal support, crisis communication, cyber security advice and more. Find out more about our incident response support here, or get in touch to see how we can proactively support your organisation to improve your cyber culture.

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