8 Types of Social Engineering Attacks

This report provides an overview of social engineering as a widespread human-centric attack vector, describing the four-part social engineering attack cycle, common techniques (phishing, BEC, vishing, smishing, spoofing, baiting, scareware, tailgating, shoulder surfing), why these attacks are effective, and layered defenses (security awareness training, MFA, least privilege, email security, and managed detection and response). It cites statistics and illustrative examples to emphasize prevalence and impact but is primarily educational and defensive rather than a technical incident report.