Social Engineering Attacks in Cybersecurity

Abstract: In recent years, social engineering has become one of the most insidious forms of cyber attack, exploiting human vulnerabilities rather than technical flaws. This paper aims to dissect the landscape of social engineering attacks, especially in the context of recent developments during 2024 and 2025. With advancements in artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies, attackers now possess sophisticated tools to deceive, manipulate, and breach systems through human interaction. The study explores traditional and emerging types of social engineering tactics, including phishing, vishing, baiting, pretexting, and impersonation using AI-generated media. It also provides a deep analysis of real-world incidents like the Snowflake data breach, Salesforce loader phishing, and deepfake impersonations. The goal is to foster awareness and reinforce the importance of security training, multi-layered authentication, and psychological resilience against manipulation. Based on current trends and academic research, this paper proposes robust mitigation strategies for organizations and individuals. In conclusion, as human factors remain an attractive vector for cybercriminals, understanding and countering social engineering must become a top priority in cybersecurity frameworks.