Threat Intelligence

What Sherlock Holmes Can Teach Us About Social Engineering

Dark Reading · 11 Aug 2026

Key Takeaway Train your staff to recognise manipulation tactics like impersonation and information gathering, since social engineering—not just technology—remains one of the biggest security risks for small businesses.

Long before phishing emails and fake tech support calls, fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was already mastering the art of social engineering. Holmes used disguises, surveillance, and carefully built networks of informants to gather information and manipulate situations to his advantage—tactics that closely resemble the methods used by both cybercriminals and ethical hackers today.

Modern attackers often rely on similar principles: gathering information about a target, adopting a false identity, and building trust before striking. Just as Holmes studied his targets closely to predict their behaviour, today's social engineers research employees on social media, mimic trusted contacts, and exploit human psychology to bypass technical defences.

For small businesses, the lesson is clear—no matter how advanced your security software is, attackers often succeed by manipulating people rather than breaking through firewalls. Understanding these age-old tactics, whether from fiction or real-world case studies, can help staff recognise when they're being targeted.

social engineering phishing employee training

Summarised by CISO AI from Dark Reading. We link back to every original so you can read it yourself.