The Human Factor: How Social Engineering Attacks Are Exploiting Salesforce CRM Systems
by
Jason Mills
In 2025, one of the year’s biggest cybersecurity headlines didn’t involve malware, zero-day exploits, or nation-state hacking tools. It came from a simple phone call.
The hacking group ShinyHunters compromised Salesforce environments at more than 90 global companies, including Farmers Insurance, Allianz Life, and several international banks. Millions of customer records were exposed. The method wasn’t technical wizardry—it was social engineering.
Attackers didn’t break into Salesforce. They broke into people. Employees—often in customer support, claims, or operations—were convinced over the phone that they were speaking with IT support. From there, they were walked step by step into installing malicious apps disguised as legitimate tools.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: while Salesforce made the headlines, the same playbook works against any CRM or SaaS system financial institutions depend on. Whether your organization runs on Microsoft Dynamics, Temenos, Guidewire, HubSpot, ServiceNow, or even a legacy in-house portal, the weak point isn’t the software. It’s the humans connecting to it.
For banks and insurers, this wasn’t just a breach. It was a boardroom shockwave: a reminder that trust, privacy, and compliance—pillars of the industry—can be toppled by a single manipulated employee.
Why It Worked: The Human Factor
The ShinyHunters playbook was brutally simple:
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This insight was originally published in the first issue of FinScale Magazine by TrialScale. Download the magazine to keep reading.