Beyond Phishing: The New Wave of ‘Human-Centric’ Cyber Threats

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Key Takeaways

• Cybercriminals are shifting from phishing to manipulating people through social engineering, deepfakes, and identity deception.
• 90% of cyber incidents involve human error, making human-centric security training and MDR essential.
• MDR/XDR detects psychological and behavioural attack patterns in real time.
• SOC-as-a-Service provides continuous visibility and human oversight across digital channels.

Phishing emails may still dominate the headlines, but they’re just one piece of a much bigger problem. Cybercriminals have evolved beyond traditional scams, targeting people rather than systems. These ‘human-centric’ cyber threats exploit psychology, trust, and behaviour to bypass even the best technology defences.

In the last 12 months, phishing attacks have remained the most prevalent and disruptive type of breach or attack, experienced by 85% of businesses and 86% of charities in the United Kingdom. Mr. Farooq Zafar, cybersecurity consultant, said in a conference, “In cybersecurity, your greatest asset, people, can also be your biggest risk.”

Fortray, a leading Managed Services Provider (MSP) in the UK, helps businesses stay ahead of these attacks through MDR/XDR and SOC, combining AI, automation, and human expertise to protect what technology alone can’t!

The Shift from Traditional Phishing to Human-Centric Cyber Threats

What Traditional Phishing Looked Like?

Classic phishing relied on fake emails, deceptive links, and spoofed brands. The cyber attackers tricked users into revealing credentials or downloading malware. While still dangerous, these attacks are now easy to detect with modern spam filters and endpoint protection.

The Rise of ‘Human-Centric’ Threats