Social Engineering

Social engineering is the use of manipulation and deception to trick people into giving away confidential information, sending money or doing something that weakens security. Instead of breaking into systems technically, attackers exploit trust, fear, urgency and helpfulness.

Common techniques include phishing, pretexting (inventing a story, such as pretending to be from the bank or IT support), baiting (leaving infected USB drives), tailgating (following someone into a secure area) and fake customer-care numbers. The best defence is awareness: verify requests through a separate channel and never share OTPs, PINs or passwords.