Social engineering is the psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. Attackers exploit human trust, fear, curiosity, or urgency rather than technical vulnerabilities. Common techniques include phishing, pretexting, baiting, tailgating, and vishing. Social engineering is effective because it targets the weakest link in security: people. Defenses include security awareness training, verification procedures, and a culture of questioning unusual requests.
Cybersecurity