IronSights

Threats & attacks

Social engineering

The use of psychological manipulation to trick people into divulging confidential information, granting access, or performing actions that compromise security — exploiting human behaviour rather than technical vulnerabilities.

Also known ashuman hackingmanipulation attack

In plain English

Social engineering attacks target people, not technology. Phishing, vishing, smishing, pretexting, and tailgating are all forms of social engineering. Because they exploit human instincts — trust, authority, fear, urgency — they are often more effective than technical attacks, and no amount of patching will stop them. Security awareness training and robust verification processes are the primary defences.

Keep learning

More terms in the IronSights Glossary.