Social Engineering Testing Service

What Is a Social Engineering Test?

A social engineering test (social engineering penetration test) is a controlled security assessment carried out to measure how aware employees are of cyber attacks and to identify the security risks that arise from the human factor.

However strong the technical controls, attackers often prefer to target people rather than attack systems directly. An employee clicking a fraudulent email, opening a malicious file or sharing their credentials can render even advanced security infrastructure ineffective.

Using genuine attacker techniques, this service tests — under controlled conditions — how employees stand up to phishing, spear phishing, voice phishing (vishing), SMS attacks (smishing), USB drop scenarios and physical social engineering attempts.

SecureSys social engineering tests are conducted within ethical boundaries, with the organisation's approval and inside a scope agreed in advance.

Why Should You Run a Social Engineering Test?

The majority of cyber attacks today stem not from technical vulnerabilities but from human error. Inattention, or insufficient awareness of social engineering techniques, leads to data breaches, ransomware attacks, financial loss and reputational damage.

A social engineering test allows you to:

• Measure employee awareness objectively.
• Identify higher-risk user groups.
• Establish where training is needed.
• Assess readiness against real attacks.
• Reduce human-related security risk.
• Strengthen the organisation's security culture.

Scope of the Service

Phishing tests

Scenarios resembling genuine corporate email are prepared, and employee behaviour towards fraudulent links and files is analysed.

Scope:

• Corporate email scenarios
• Office 365 attack simulations
• Google Workspace scenarios
• Fraudulent login pages
• File download scenarios
• Credential capture testing
• MFA awareness testing

Spear Phishing Tests

Personalised attack scenarios are prepared for specific individuals or departments.

Typical targets:

• Finance
• Human resources
• Senior management
• Procurement
• Accounting
• IT department

Vishing (Voice Phishing)

Employees' willingness to disclose information over the telephone is analysed.

Areas tested:

• User verification
• Password disclosure
• VPN details
• Internal system information
• Authorisation processes

Smishing (SMS Attacks)

Fraudulent SMS scenarios targeting mobile devices are applied.

Examples:

• Delivery notification
• Payroll information
• HR announcement
• VPN update
• Corporate application update

USB Drop Tests

Physical security awareness is measured using USB drives left in the corporate environment.

Behaviours analysed:

• Whether the USB device is plugged in
• Whether the file is opened
• Whether it is reported
• Compliance with security procedures

Physical Social Engineering Tests

The organisation's physical security controls and employee behaviour are assessed.

Scenarios:

• Unauthorised visitor entry
• Tailgating
• Impersonating technical support staff
• Delivery driver scenarios
• ID card checks
• Clean desk policy

Risks Assessed

Social engineering testing analyses the following risks.

• Credential disclosure
• Fraudulent login pages
• Unauthorised information sharing
• MFA bypass scenarios
• Opening malicious files
• Clicking suspicious links
• USB security
• Voice phishing
• Physical security breaches
• Corporate information leakage
• Manipulation of business processes
• Executive impersonation (CEO fraud)
• Business Email Compromise (BEC)

How the Testing Process Works

Scoping

Test scenarios, target user groups and success criteria are agreed.

Scenario design

Realistic social engineering scenarios are prepared specifically for the organisation.

Running the simulations

The agreed scenarios are executed under controlled conditions.

Analysis of results

User behaviour and success rates are analysed.

Risk assessment

Human-related security risks are classified.

Executive and technical reporting

Success rates by department, the risks identified and the recommendations are reported.

Awareness and improvement

Training and awareness work is planned on the basis of the results.

What You Receive at the End of the Test

• Executive summary
• Technical test report
• Phishing success rates
• Analysis by department
• User behaviour reports
• Risk levels
• Training needs analysis
• Evidence screenshots and logs
• Remediation recommendations
• Retest results

Why SecureSys?

Social engineering testing is not a matter of sending fake emails. A meaningful assessment requires realistic attack scenarios that take account of the organisation's culture, its business processes and how its people actually behave.

At SecureSys we plan social engineering tests using methodology aligned with international standards, and we run them within ethical boundaries and with the organisation's approval. We report not only the success rates but exactly where employees went wrong, which departments carry the greater risk, and how that risk can be reduced.

The SecureSys Difference

• Expert penetration testing under TSE TS 13638
• Scenario design based on genuine attacker techniques
• Phishing, spear phishing, vishing and smishing testing
• Physical social engineering and USB drop scenarios
• Detailed analysis by department and by user
• Risk-driven assessment with actionable recommendations
• Comprehensive reporting at both technical and executive level
• Awareness training and retest support

Which Organisations Need Social Engineering Testing?

This service suits any organisation that wants to treat the human factor as part of its security strategy.

It matters particularly for:

• Banks and financial institutions
• Public sector institutions
• Healthcare providers
• Energy companies
• Defence industry
• Telecom operators
• E-commerce companies
• Manufacturing and industrial organisations
• Logistics companies
• Educational institutions
• Holding companies and large enterprises
• Organisations working towards KVKK, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, DORA and NIS2 compliance

For all of these, social engineering testing provides a critical assessment that complements the technical security controls.

Phishing Testing

A phishing test is a controlled social engineering exercise that measures how well employees recognise fraudulent email.

Using realistic emails prepared specifically for the organisation, we analyse whether employees click links, download files, disclose credentials or report suspicious content. The result is an objective measure of the organisation's resilience to phishing.

Scope:

• Corporate email scenarios
• Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace simulations
• Fraudulent login pages
• Harmless attachment scenarios
• Credential capture simulations
• MFA awareness checks
• User behaviour analysis

Employee Awareness Testing

Employee awareness testing is a controlled security assessment that measures how staff behave when faced with social engineering.

It covers more than phishing: we analyse how employees react to telephone calls, text messages, physical access attempts and requests for information.

The result is a detailed report on which attack methods employees are most vulnerable to, the success rates by department, and the organisation's overall level of security awareness.

Principal areas assessed

• Recognition of suspicious email
• Use of strong passwords
• Authentication awareness
• Information sharing habits
• USB and removable media security
• Response to voice phishing
• Compliance with physical security rules
• Adherence to corporate security procedures

Social Engineering Testing

A social engineering test is a professional penetration testing service in which the methods attackers use to obtain information through human psychology are simulated under control.

The purpose is to establish how well employees resist social engineering attempts that could bypass technical controls, and to surface the organisation's people-related security risk.

SecureSys social engineering testing is planned within ethical boundaries and with the organisation's approval. Because the scenarios are built from genuine attacker techniques, the exercise assesses not only user behaviour but the organisation's security processes and operational reflexes.

Test scenarios

• Phishing
• Spear phishing
• Whaling (attacks targeting senior management)
• Business Email Compromise (BEC)
• CEO fraud
• Vishing (telephone)
• Smishing (SMS)
• QR phishing (quishing)
• USB drop
• Physical social engineering
• Tailgating
• Fake technical support scenarios

Real Social Engineering Scenarios

Scenario 1 — Fake Microsoft 365 Login Page (Credential Phishing)

An employee receives an email that appears to come from the IT department, stating that their Microsoft 365 session has expired and that they must sign in again to keep the account active.

The link in the email leads to a fraudulent sign-in page closely resembling the genuine one. If the employee enters their username, password or verification code, the attacker captures it.

Principal controls tested in this scenario:

• Phishing awareness
• Detection of fraudulent links
• Domain verification
• Willingness to disclose credentials
• MFA habits
• Reflex to report suspicious email

Scenario 2 — Fake Invoice Request to Accounting (Business Email Compromise)

An employee in the accounting department receives an urgent email that appears to come from a senior executive. It shares new bank account details and asks for a pending payment to be sent to the updated account.

The attacker imitates the executive's tone and email format to earn the employee's trust. The goal is to have the payment made without verification.

Principal controls tested in this scenario:

• Business Email Compromise (BEC)
• CEO fraud
• Authority verification processes
• Financial transaction security
• Dual approval mechanisms
• Response to urgent requests

Scenario 3 — Fake Technical Support Visit (Physical Social Engineering)

Someone arrives at the building presenting themselves as an internet service provider engineer or IT support technician. Claiming that network equipment needs maintenance or that the internet infrastructure is being upgraded, they request access to the server room or office area.

We observe whether employees follow visitor verification, identity checking and escort procedures, and assess how effective the physical security processes are.

Principal controls tested in this scenario:

• Identity verification procedures
• Physical access controls
• Tailgating awareness
• Clean desk policy
• Visitor management
• Information sharing behaviour

Assessing the Results and Improving

Once the test is complete, all findings are analysed in detail from both a technical and a management perspective. The purpose is not to identify which employee got it wrong, but to assess the organisation's overall awareness and the effectiveness of its processes objectively.

By measuring responses to the attack scenarios, success rates by department, user behaviour and adherence to security procedures, the analysis sets out the organisation's people-related cyber risk.

The report covers:

• Overall success and awareness rates
• Analysis by department
• Risk assessment by role
• Success rates for phishing and the other scenarios
• The most common user mistakes
• Gaps identified in security processes
• The potential impact of people-related risk on the organisation
• Prioritised remediation recommendations
• Retest planning

Awareness Recommendations

Based on the results, we provide awareness recommendations suited to the organisation's needs. The aim is to help employees recognise genuine attack scenarios and act more consciously when they meet one.

Recommendations may cover:

• Guidance on recognising phishing attacks
• Strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Verifying suspicious email and links
• What to watch for in telephone and SMS fraud
• Physical security and visitor management practice
• Rules for sharing corporate information
• Processes for reporting security incidents

Continuous Improvement and Retesting

Social engineering testing should be treated not as a one-off exercise but as part of a continuous security process. After a test, SecureSys carries out planned retests to verify the effectiveness of the improvements and to measure how the organisation's awareness has developed.

This way you identify not only the risks that exist today but can also track objectively how employee awareness and security culture improve over time.

Continuous Social Engineering Simulation with the Kalkan Platform

The Kalkan Cyber Security Platform, developed by SecureSys, offers more than 180 ready-made social engineering scenarios so organisations can measure employee awareness continuously.

Prepared for different sectors and user profiles, these scenarios let phishing, spear phishing, CEO fraud, Business Email Compromise (BEC), smishing, vishing and other social engineering attacks run automatically to an agreed schedule.

Simulations run through the platform provide:

• More than 180 ready-made attack scenarios
• The ability to create organisation-specific scenarios
• Targeting by department
• Random or scheduled simulations
• Email simulations compatible with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
• Real-time success and click-through rates
• Risk scoring per user
• Management dashboards and graphical reports
• Comparative analysis of progress over time
• Management of every simulation from one place

Employee awareness can therefore be measured and improved on an ongoing basis.

The SecureSys Approach

SecureSys does not limit social engineering testing to standard phishing email. Taking the organisation's sector, structure and business processes into account, we develop scenarios specific to finance, human resources, IT, procurement and senior management. The methods a real attacker would use are simulated in a controlled environment, giving a comprehensive picture of the organisation's people-focused security posture.

Note: These scenarios are run entirely under control, within ethical boundaries and with the organisation's written approval. Nothing is done during testing that could harm employees or corporate systems.