How does social engineering primarily pose a risk to organizations?

Social engineering poses a significant risk to organizations primarily through the manipulation of individuals into disclosing confidential information. This tactic exploits human psychology rather than relying on technical vulnerabilities to gain access to sensitive data. For instance, attackers might impersonate a trusted source, such as a colleague or a reputable organization, to convince unsuspecting employees to share passwords, account details, or other critical information.

This type of manipulation takes advantage of social norms and inherent trust, demonstrating that the human element can be the weakest link in an organization’s security posture. As a result, even with robust technical defenses in place, organizations remain vulnerable if individuals can be tricked into providing access or sensitive information.

The other options reflect potential security risks but do not encapsulate the primary risk associated with social engineering. Physical security attacks, new software vulnerabilities, and malware deployment focus on technical breaches rather than the human factors that social engineering specifically targets.