Social engineering is a psychological manipulation technique individuals or groups use to deceive others and gain unauthorized access to information, systems, or physical spaces. It involves exploiting human vulnerabilities rather than technical weaknesses to achieve malicious objectives. In the context of measuring an organization's susceptibility to social engineering, it refers to assessing the organization's level of vulnerability to these manipulative tactics.

Social engineering attacks can take various forms, such as phishing emails, phone calls impersonating legitimate individuals or authorities, impersonation in person, or even exploiting trust and relationships to deceive employees. The primary goal is to manipulate individuals into divulging sensitive information, providing access to systems, or performing actions compromising security.

To measure an organization's susceptibility to social engineering, several factors can be evaluated:

1. Employee Awareness: Assessing the level of awareness and training provided to employees regarding social engineering techniques, their recognition, and their response to potential threats.

2. Security Policies and Procedures: Evaluating the effectiveness of existing policies and procedures to mitigate social engineering risks. This includes access control mechanisms, password policies, and authorization protocols.

3. Incident Response: Reviewing the organization's capability to detect and address social engineering incidents. This involves evaluating the effectiveness of incident reporting procedures and the ability to respond promptly.

4. Employee Behavior and Compliance: Analyzing employees' adherence to security protocols and policies, including their cautiousness while sharing information or responding to suspicious requests.

5. Technical Countermeasures: Assessing the technical security measures implemented to counter social engineering attacks, such as email filters, spam detection, and multi-factor authentication.

6. Vulnerability Assessments: Conduct regular assessments to identify weaknesses in the organization's systems, processes, and employee practices that could be exploited through social engineering techniques.

By evaluating these factors, organizations can gain insights into their susceptibility to social engineering and take appropriate measures to mitigate the risks. Combining technical measures with employee education and awareness is essential to create a robust defense against social engineering attacks.

ThreatNG is an all-in-one solution that combines external attack surface management, digital risk protection, and security ratings. It helps organizations address social engineering risks by providing comprehensive visibility into their external attack surface, monitoring online channels for malicious activities, offering security ratings to assess overall security posture, prioritizing risks, and assisting with incident response and remediation. With ThreatNG, organizations can proactively identify, mitigate, and prevent social engineering attacks, enhancing security defenses.