Information, Computer and Network Security Terms Glossary and Dictionary

Social Engineering

In computer security, social engineering is a term that describes a non-technical kind of intrusion that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking other people to break normal security procedures. Usually social engineering techniques are faster, easier to implement, and require less detailed system knowledge; and are therefore tried before attempting to exploit hardware and software vulnerabilities. An example of social engineering is phishing, when a cracker sends out spam emails trying to gather passwords and other sensitive information.

Related Terms

Social Engineering