Test Your Human Defenses Against Real-World Social Engineering Attacks

Your users are your last line of defense—and your biggest vulnerability.

Bishop Fox's social engineering methodology explores how attackers exploit your users so you can apply unique insights to your security awareness program. By emulating all stages of a social engineering attack—from OSINT gathering and pretexting to lure creation and payload delivery—our elite red team consultants provide clear understanding of how sophisticated social engineering techniques are executed and just how much damage is possible from a successful attack.

This comprehensive guide covers:

• The complete social engineering engagement process
• Open-source intelligence (OSINT) gathering techniques
• Pretext development and approval workflow
• Content and payload creation methods
• Multiple attack vectors: email (phishing), phone (vishing), physical security, and more
• Testing execution with optional client "ride along"
• Reporting structure and recommendations
• Delineation of responsibilities between Bishop Fox and client teams

Why Social Engineering testing

Technical controls can't stop every attack. Sophisticated attackers target your users because:

• Users have access to systems, data, and credentials
• Social engineering bypasses technical defenses
• Human judgment fails under pressure, urgency, or authority
• Awareness training alone doesn't validate real-world resilience

Social engineering testing reveals:

• Which users are susceptible to specific attack types
• Gaps in your security awareness program
• Whether technical controls (email filtering, endpoint protection) catch social engineering attempts
• How far an attacker could get once they compromise a user

Who Should Read This Methodology

• Security leaders evaluating social engineering testing approaches
• Security awareness program managers
• Risk and compliance teams validating user security
• SOC and incident response teams understanding attack vectors
• Organizations preparing for social engineering engagements

Realistic, Ethical Testing

Bishop Fox conducts social engineering engagements ethically and professionally:

• All testing is authorized and scoped in advance
• Pretexts are approved before deployment
• No malicious payloads—only benign simulations
• Communication channels remain open during testing
• Results are kept confidential and used solely for improvement
• We test your defenses without causing harm or disruption.

Dowload the Full Methodology 

Get detailed insights into Bishop Fox's social engineering testing approach. This comprehensive methodology document outlines our process for testing human defenses against real-world social engineering attacks.