THREAT‑WATCH
Glossary
Social Engineering
Manipulating people, rather than exploiting software, to gain unauthorized access or information.
Social engineering exploits trust, urgency, or authority rather than technical vulnerabilities: phishing is the most common form, but it also includes pretexting (impersonating someone with a false pretext), baiting, and phone-based scams (vishing). Because it targets human decision-making, technical controls alone can't fully prevent it; training is a necessary complement.