PENETRATION TESTING METHODOLOGIES

Social Engineering Campaign

Modern attackers don’t just go after your software—they go after your people.

Red Sentry’s Social Engineering Campaigns simulate real-world manipulation tactics used by threat actors to exploit human behavior. These engagements help you uncover how your team would respond to phishing emails, impersonation calls, or suspicious text messages before a real attacker finds out for you.

These assessments go beyond technical vulnerabilities to test your frontline: The employees who click, respond, or give access without realizing the risk.

PHaSE 1
Social Engineering Reconnaissance
Every successful social engineering attack starts with research. In this phase, we gather publicly available data to craft realistic scenarios that match your team’s workflows and organizational structure.

This phase includes these steps:

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Gathering

Employee Target List Development

Email & Phone Collection

We collect data from company websites, LinkedIn, social media, vendor portals, and other public sources to map out internal departments, job functions, and key personnel.
Using the data collected by OSINT, we compile a list of employees to target during the campaigns, prioritizing those in positions with access to sensitive information (e.g., HR, IT, Finance).
We harvest email addresses and phone numbers for the target list. During scoping, clients can provide contact details or specific individuals they want tested.This foundational research ensures that every interaction feels plausible. Just like it would during a real attack.

Network Discovery:

Using tools like Nmap to scan for live hosts, open ports, and exposed services within your internal network.

Technology Identification:

Pinpointing operating systems, patch levels, and service versions to identify vulnerable software.

Publicly Accessible Shares:

Using tools like Nmap to scan for live hosts, open ports, and exposed services within your internal network.
PHaSE 2
Campaign Planning
Once reconnaissance is complete, our team builds out tailored social engineering scenarios that reflect your company’s environment and known threat vectors.

Phishing

Vishing

Smishing

We write targeted emails that may contain malicious links, attachments, or credential harvesting forms. These messages are customized for realism and can include:
Spear phishing:Personalized messages to
high-value targets
Clone phishing:Emails that mimic legitimate internal communications
We script and perform phone calls where we impersonate internal departments (like IT or HR) or trusted vendors. The goal is to manipulate employees into revealing credentials or taking unauthorized actions.
We craft SMS messages designed to appear as internal alerts, service provider notifications, or requests for action. These messages often include malicious links or ask for sensitive information.Each campaign is approved by the client before launch to ensure appropriateness and adherence to company culture and policies.

Service Enumeration:

Actively scanning internal machines to identify file servers, web applications, database services, and more.

Active Directory Enumeration
(if AD is present):

Tools like BloodHound and AD Explorer help us map user groups, trust paths, GPOs, and privilege relationships.

Credential Discovery:

Searching configuration files, scripts, and public shares for stored or hardcoded credentials that could grant unauthorized access.
PHaSE 3
Social Engineering Execution
With the campaigns planned, we launch the simulated attacks across all approved channels.

Phishing Execution

Vishing Execution

Smishing Execution

We send emails to the selected employee list and monitor:
-Email opens
-Link clicks
-Credential submissions
Monitoring allows us to measure how many users became victims of the attack.
We call targeted employees using pre-approved scripts, tracking whether they:
-Share sensitive data
-Follow attacker instructions
-Escalate suspicious
calls
The success rate of the vishing campaign is recorded by noting how many targets follow the attacker’s instructions or reveal information.
We deploy SMS campaigns and monitor:
-Click-through rates
-User responses
-Submission of sensitive information
All interactions are logged and anonymized unless otherwise requested.

Phishing Execution

We send emails to the selected employee list and monitor:
-Email opens
-Link clicks
-Credential submissions
Monitoring allows us to measure how many users became victims of the attack.

Vishing Execution

We call targeted employees using pre-approved scripts, tracking whether they:
-Share sensitive data
-Follow attacker instructions
-Escalate suspicious
calls
The success rate of the vishing campaign is recorded by noting how many targets follow the attacker’s instructions or reveal information.

Smishing Execution

We deploy SMS campaigns and monitor:
-Click-through rates
-User responses
-Submission of sensitive information
All interactions are logged and anonymized unless otherwise requested.
PHaSE 4
Campaign Analysis & Reporting
After the engagement, we break down the results to identify gaps in awareness and response.

Vulnerability
Mapping

Behavioral
Insights

Actionable
Reporting

We evaluate which departments or users are most susceptible to each attack vector:
Phishing:
Who clicked, downloaded, or submitted info
Vishing:
Who disclosed data over the phone
Smishing:
Who responded or clicked SMS links
Our team highlights key trends like:
-Password reuse
-Lack of identity verification
-Overtrust in external communications
You’ll receive a detailed report outlining:
-Campaign metrics and performance
-At-risk employee groups
-Training recommendations and next steps
These findings can inform future tabletop exercises, security awareness training, and technical controls.

Vulnerability
Mapping

We evaluate which departments or users are most susceptible to each attack vector:
Phishing:
Who clicked, downloaded, or submitted info
Vishing:
Who disclosed data over the phone
Smishing:
Who responded or clicked SMS links

Behavioral
Insights

Our team highlights key trends like:
-Password reuse
-Lack of identity verification
-Overtrust in external communications

Actionable
Reporting

You’ll receive a detailed report outlining:
-Campaign metrics and performance
-At-risk employee groups
-Training recommendations and next steps
These findings can inform future tabletop exercises, security awareness training, and technical controls.

Is Your Team Ready
for a Social Engineering Test?

Red Sentry's Social Engineering Campaign is more than just a test; it's a strategic investment in understanding and strengthening your organization's human cybersecurity defenses by methodically simulating real-world threats.

We're not just finding flaws.
We're giving you the actionable intelligence to fortify your defenses against the most persistent threats.

‍Let’s find out how your team would respond when the pressure’s on.
Contact us to schedule a social engineering assessment.

Schedule your demo today

Protect your organization with Red Sentry's expert penetration testing. Choose a trusted and comprehensive assessment to identify and address security risks.

Get Started

Penetration Testing

HomePenetration TestingWeb App PentestingEducation Penetration TestingEnergy and Oil Penetration TestingFinTech Penetration TestingHealthcare Penetration Testing
Law Penetration TestingSaaS Penetration TestingAbout UsCase StudiesClient TestimonialsArticlesPartners
Terms of UseCookie Privacy PolicyPrivacy Policy

Copyright © Red Sentry 2025

RedSentry, LLC was founded in 2020. Disclaimer RedSentry, LLC is not responsible for misuse of the platform.
If you have any questions please contact us at (888) 337-0467.