Social Engineering
Social engineering manipulates people into revealing information or performing actions.
Updated: 2026-03-05
Definition
Social engineering is the use of psychological manipulation to trick people into breaking normal security procedures.
Common techniques include phishing, pretexting, baiting, tailgating, and impersonation.
Key points
- Exploits trust, urgency, fear, curiosity
- Often bypasses technical controls
- Defense: awareness, verification, least privilege
Common mistakes
- Thinking social engineering is only email-based (it can be physical or phone-based).
- Failing to verify identity through a second channel.
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