What is social engineering in the context of cybersecurity?

Social engineering in the context of cybersecurity refers to a tactic that exploits human psychology to manipulate individuals into revealing confidential information such as passwords, account numbers, or sensitive personal data. This manipulation often relies on building trust or exploiting social norms.

For instance, an attacker might pose as a technical support agent and convince a user to provide their login credentials under the pretense of assisting with a problem. The effectiveness of social engineering lies in its ability to bypass traditional security measures by targeting the human element rather than the technical barriers designed to protect data. By understanding how individuals think and respond to social cues, attackers can craft scenarios that encourage victims to act against their best interests, ultimately leading to security breaches.

This focus on human behavior differentiates it from techniques aimed at testing firewalls, bypassing encryption, or improving access controls, which are primarily technical strategies aimed at enhancing system security.