Customer Service: Selling Point or Security Vulnerability?
In a competitive landscape where clients have endless options, exceptional customer service is no longer a luxury, it’s an expectation. It’s the foundation of successful relationships and a cornerstone of brand loyalty.
But what if the same values that define exceptional service, that of responsiveness, helpfulness, and trust, also create vulnerabilities?
Enter social engineering, a form of attack that exploits human psychology rather than technical flaws.
At its core, social engineering involves manipulating individuals into taking actions or revealing information that compromises security. It works well because people are naturally inclined to trust others—what linguists call the Cooperative Principle. Threat actors know this, and they use it daily.
Notable Examples of Social Engineering in Action:
- 2006 Hewlett-Packard Scandal
Investigators impersonated board members and journalists to access private phone records. - 2014 Sony Pictures Hack
Phishing emails posing as Apple and Google tricked users into giving attackers the access they needed. - 2016 Uber Breach
Attackers, posing as Uber Security, tricked an employee into approving an MFA request via WhatsApp. - 2023 Casino Attacks (MGM)
Social engineers posed as employees when calling the help desk—leading to ransomware deployment across MGM properties.
These examples reveal a hard truth: your organization’s commitment to customer service may be the very entry point attacker’s exploit.
So how do we uphold exceptional service without opening the door to manipulation? The answer lies in three pillars: Education, Cooperation, and Validation.
- Education
Security starts with awareness. If someone doesn’t recognize a threat, they can’t stop it. Regular security awareness training, especially for public-facing teams, is essential. But don’t stop there. Awareness fades, and training must be refreshed frequently, incorporating evolving tactics and real-world examples.
- Cooperation
Security shouldn’t feel like a tradeoff. Employees often fear that refusing a suspicious request, like visiting an untrusted website on a phone call, might anger a customer or damage a relationship. When that happens, policy takes a backseat to appeasement.
Build a culture of cooperative security. Enable them to make a secure decision without fear of retaliation and make it clear: protecting the organization is good service. Employees need to know they’ll be supported when they make a secure choice.
- Validation
Training only works if it translates to real behavior. Test it. Run phishing simulations, social engineering call tests, and even in-person pretexting drills. These exercises reveal weak points and help tailor future training.
And just as importantly, validation testing shifts the message from “You might see this someday…” to “This will happen, and you must be ready.”
Balancing Trust and Vigilance
Great customer service and great security aren’t mutually exclusive; they reinforce one another. Clients trust companies that protect them. Employees thrive in environments where they’re empowered to say no when something feels off.
Social engineering thrives in silence and assumption. Education, cooperation, and validation bring it into the light, where it can be seen, understood, and stopped.
Neovera SV (formerly 10-D Security) is an independent firm specializing in IT security and compliance for financial institutions. We help clients mitigate risk and comply with GLBA requirements, offering tailored services and expertise to strengthen cybersecurity programs.