Cart 0
How social engineering threats evolve in 2025
Social engineering attacks, which involve manipulating individuals to disclose confidential information, have long been a major threat to cyber security. In 2025, these threats evolved rapidly, both in sophistication and method, forcing individuals and organizations to adapt and remain vigilant.
1. Phishing becomes smarter
The attacks of phishing, where cyber criminals pretend to be legitimate organisations in order to steal personal data, are now reinforced by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. In 2025, these technologies made it possible to create extremely convincing and personalized messages, perfectly imitating the style and tone of sources of trust. Faced with these sophisticated attacks, advanced e-mail filters and security software are becoming indispensable to detect these fraud attempts.
2. The rise of vocal phishing (vishing)
Attacks by vocal phishing or vishing, based on telephone calls, are becoming increasingly common. Through advanced voice synthesis technologies, cyber criminals can mimic the voice of colleagues or senior executives, making it difficult to distinguish between real and fake calls. Companies will have to train their employees to identify these threats and adopt protocols to verify the authenticity of calls, especially in urgent situations.
3. Use of deepfakes in social engineering
Deepfakes, which use the AI to create very realistic videos and audio recordings, perfect each year. By 2025, cyber criminals could use these technologies to encourage employees to conduct fraudulent transactions or disclose sensitive information, using fake executive video messages. This type of attack plays on trust and complicates the verification of applications, making it particularly daunting.
4. The rise of smishing
The smishing, or phishing by SMS, is experiencing a sharp increase. In 2025, cybercriminals used social media data to create highly targeted and personalized SMS messages. These messages seek to encourage users to provide sensitive information or click on malicious links. Caution in the face of unsolicited messages and the avoidance of suspicious links will be essential practices to counter these attacks.
5. Multi-vector attacks become the norm
Rather than just one method, many social engineering attacks in 2025 combine several vectors to maximize their chances of success. For example, a cybercriminal can start with a phishing e-mail to get basic information, then follow with a phone call using phishing tactics vishing for more access. Faced with these sophisticated approaches, organizations will need to strengthen their cybersecurity policies and adopt multilayered defences.
6. Operating remote working environments
With the rise of remote work, cybercriminals are increasingly targeting domestic networks and exploiting the confidence established through digital communication channels. In 2025, these attacks may include false requests for access to secure systems or fraudulent offers of technical support to exploit the vulnerabilities of personal devices. Companies will need to train their employees to recognize these tactics and develop robust safety protocols for remote work.
Conclusion:
Social engineering attacks are changing rapidly, taking advantage of new technologies and exploiting vulnerabilities in an increasingly digital and connected world. To protect themselves from these growing threats, individuals and organizations need to keep up-to-date with latest trends, deploy sophisticated security solutions and organize regular training to increase awareness. In 2025, in the face of these increasingly advanced attacks, vigilance will be the key to countering cyber criminals and safeguarding the security of our sensitive information.
