Stop Social Engineering Attacks Before They Start

The Problem: Why Hackers Find Their Way through Social Engineering

Help desks are built to help—attackers exploit that. 

• Impersonation at the front line: Callers pose as locked-out employees and pressure agents to “just reset it.” 

• Urgency beats policy: Tight deadlines and VIP name-dropping push staff to skip verification. 

• MFA bypassed by people, not tech: If an agent resets MFA or passwords without strong proof, even phishing-resistant controls fall. 

• Smarter pretexting: Leaked data and AI voice cloning make impostors sound convincingly real. 

Bottom line: One persuasive call can open the door to your entire environment. 

The Ramifications: From Downtime to Disaster 

When a reset goes wrong, the blast radius is big. 

• Financial impact: Outages, incident response, and lost revenue stack up quickly. 

• Operational disruption: Systems go offline; teams revert to manual work for days or weeks. 

• Compliance & legal exposure: Unverified resets can cascade into audit findings, fines, and vendor disputes. 

• Reputation hit: Headlines and customer distrust linger long after systems recover. 

It only takes minutes to reset an account—recovering trust can take months. 

Real-World Social Engineering Impact: MGM Resorts Breach

In September 2023, MGM Resorts fell victim to a help-desk social engineering attack.

• Attackers made a 10-minute phone call posing as an employee. 

• The help desk reset MFA and credentials without strict verification. 

• Ransomware was deployed, shutting down ATMs, slot machines, hotel key systems, and reservations across Las Vegas properties. 

• The breach cost MGM over $100 million in direct losses and recovery expenses. 
  

How OpenIAM Helps against Social Engineering: Take Help-Desk Vulnerability Out of the Equation

Secure Self-Service Password/MFA Reset (SSPR) 

• Let users help themselves—safely. OpenIAM verifies identity with multi-factor checks (OTP, email/SMS codes, TOTP, challenge questions) before any reset. 

• Reduces pressure on agents and removes the most common social-engineering pathway. 

Enforced Identity Verification for Agents 

• Built-in verification steps (send a one-time PIN, require answers to configured challenges, or validate via temporary TOTP) before an agent can proceed. 

• No verification, no reset—technology enforces policy, not memory. 

MFA Everywhere—Including the Help Desk 

• Apply MFA to sensitive support actions (e.g., password/MFA resets, unlocks, privilege changes), not just user logins. 

• Close the “phone-based bypass” by requiring out-of-band confirmation from the true account owner. 

Built-In Approvals for High-Risk Requests 

• Workflow engine routes privileged operations (e.g., admin account resets) for secondary approval to security or management. 

• Enforces a two-person rule that stops a single misstep from becoming a breach. 

Real-Time Visibility and Proof 

• Immediate notifications to users (and optionally managers/SecOps) for password/MFA changes to catch fraud early. 

• Unified audit trails for every action—who requested, who verified, who approved—simplifying investigations and compliance reporting. 

Least Privilege for Service Desks 

• Tiered permissions so front-line agents can’t modify high-risk accounts. 

• Guardrails in the console guide agents through verification and record what was done and why. 

One Platform, Consistent Policy 

• Define verification, MFA, and password rules once; OpenIAM enforces them across self-service, help desk, and automated workflows. 

• No weak backdoors or alternate paths with lighter controls. 

What you gain with OpenIAM

What You’ll Improve in Week One:

• Fewer help-desk reset calls and faster user recovery. 

• Enforced verification on every credential change. 

• Early detection of unauthorized resets via alerts. 

• Clear audit evidence for auditors and incident response. 

Ready to remove the help-desk backdoor?

Protect your front line with self-service, enforced verification, and approval workflows—all in OpenIAM.