Services · Red Team
Social engineering assessments: test the human factor without trapping your teams
An attack often starts with a person, not a technical flaw. Social engineering testing measures how well your teams actually resist manipulation: phishing, pretexting, direct contact. BEAROPS designs realistic campaigns whose aim is not to trap or punish anyone, but to reveal weak points and build lasting vigilance.
- Legal and social framework respected
- No personal data exposed
- Constructive debrief
- In French or English
How does manipulation get in?
| Vector | What it tests |
|---|---|
| Email phishing | Vigilance towards a fraudulent message and the reflex to report it |
| Voice or SMS phishing | Resistance to an urgent request by phone or message |
| Pretexting and impersonation | Verifying the identity of someone posing as a trusted third party |
| Physical contact | Applying instructions when someone on site asks for access or information |
Which indicator to track, if not the click rate?
A click rate on its own says nothing useful and stigmatises people. What matters is the full chain: how many people detected the attempt, how many reported it, how quickly, and how security responded. A team that reports quickly is worth more than a team that never clicks but never warns anyone.
- Detection
- Reporting
- Response time
- Security response
How do we respect the law and social dialogue?
Testing people involves employment law and data protection. The campaign rests on authorisation from management, prior notice to the relevant employee representative bodies where required, and data processing strictly limited to the purpose of the exercise, in line with our privacy policy . Results are presented in aggregate: no one is named or sanctioned.
Realistic, proportionate scenarios
Scenarios are chosen with you and calibrated to remain credible without being hurtful: no topics touching on health, individual pay or private life. We favour realistic professional pretexts, aligned with the real threats in your sector, and approved before anything is sent.
From scoping to awareness
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Scoping
Objectives, scope, scenarios, notification obligations.
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Preparation
Building the approved scenarios, setting up tracking.
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Execution
Campaign run over a defined window, data minimised.
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Analysis
Aggregated detection, reporting and response indicators.
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Awareness
Educational debrief and practical recommendations.
A test that strengthens, not one that punishes
A campaign without follow-up changes nothing. The debrief explains, without naming anyone, what worked and what was missing, and proposes practical measures: targeted reminders, adjusted verification procedures, an improved reporting channel. The goal is a more vigilant organisation, not employees made to feel guilty.
One vector among three
Social engineering is often combined with physical intrusion and cyber intrusion within a single Red Team exercise . A manipulated person can open up physical or digital access. We define together the vectors relevant to your objective.
Sources and references
Sources consulted on . Report an error: contact+site@bearops.fr
Frequently asked questions
Is a social engineering campaign lawful with regard to our employees?
Yes, under certain conditions. It requires authorisation from management and, where required, prior notice to the employee representative bodies. The data collected is limited to the purpose of the exercise and results are presented in aggregate, without singling out or sanctioning anyone.
Are you going to trap our employees?
No. The aim is not to trap but to measure and strengthen vigilance. Scenarios exclude abusive levers (health, pay, private life) and the debrief is educational. A successful campaign results in teams that detect and report better, not in people made to feel guilty.
Is the click rate the only result?
No, and that is precisely the trap to avoid. We measure the full chain: detection, reporting, response time and security response. Someone who clicks but reports it immediately is a more useful signal than an isolated click rate.
Will our personal data be protected?
Yes. Processing follows the data minimisation principle: only the data needed for the exercise is collected, for the sole purpose of the test, and it is deleted or anonymised within the agreed period. No individual results are shared.
Let’s design a campaign that helps your teams
Describe your context and objectives. A BEAROPS expert will call you back to build a realistic campaign that respects the social framework, and to prepare its quote.