English-speaking cybercriminals skilled in social engineering are increasingly sought after in underground forums, signaling a troubling rise in targeted attacks, The Register reports.
Threat detection firm ReliaQuest reported that job postings for English-language social engineering more than doubled between 2024 and mid-2025, suggesting such attacks will continue to grow in frequency and sophistication. Aaron Painter, CEO of identity security firm Nametag, described the trend as "impersonation-as-a-service," where attackers purchase ready-made toolkits, training, and scripts to conduct infiltration campaigns often paired with ransomware. Recent breaches highlight this shift: the ShinyHunters gang, collaborating with Scattered Spider, leveraged social engineering techniques to steal Salesforce credentials from major companies, including Dior, Chanel, Pandora, Allianz, Google, and Workday. Experts warn that AI advancements are making these scams easier to execute, while tactics borrowed from state-backed hackers, such as reconnaissance, lateral movement, and stealth, are becoming commonplace. Jamie Moles of ExtraHop emphasized that cybercrime has evolved far beyond simple pranks, with criminals now operating like professional enterprises.
Threat detection firm ReliaQuest reported that job postings for English-language social engineering more than doubled between 2024 and mid-2025, suggesting such attacks will continue to grow in frequency and sophistication. Aaron Painter, CEO of identity security firm Nametag, described the trend as "impersonation-as-a-service," where attackers purchase ready-made toolkits, training, and scripts to conduct infiltration campaigns often paired with ransomware. Recent breaches highlight this shift: the ShinyHunters gang, collaborating with Scattered Spider, leveraged social engineering techniques to steal Salesforce credentials from major companies, including Dior, Chanel, Pandora, Allianz, Google, and Workday. Experts warn that AI advancements are making these scams easier to execute, while tactics borrowed from state-backed hackers, such as reconnaissance, lateral movement, and stealth, are becoming commonplace. Jamie Moles of ExtraHop emphasized that cybercrime has evolved far beyond simple pranks, with criminals now operating like professional enterprises.
