social engineering

American  

[soh-shuhl en-juh-neer-ing] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˌɛn dʒəˈnɪər ɪŋ /

noun

1. Political Science. the manipulation of social beliefs and behaviors by public or private entities through legislation, policy, and investment.

2. a technique that uses psychological manipulation, fraud, or dishonesty to force people to disclose private personal or corporate information, or to take a particular action.

   Hackers are using social engineering to perpetrate phishing scams.

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social engineering British  

noun

1. the manipulation of the social position and function of individuals in order to manage change in a society

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Other Word Forms

• social engineer noun

Etymology

Origin of social engineering

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

On the other hand, HR seems to have a knack for driving these same people to distraction with piles of paperwork, social engineering and ever-changing policies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jim Browning, a 'scam baiter' who hacks the computers of fraudsters attempting online scams, said anyone can become a victim of scammers, particularly as "what they are good at is social engineering".

From BBC

The attackers bypassed Claude’s safety systems through social engineering, convincing the AI they were legitimate cybersecurity professionals conducting authorized testing.

From The Wall Street Journal

They used social engineering tricks to get access to the powerful internal control panel at the site.

From BBC

It has demonstrated over the centuries a deep faith in human betterment through liberal reformism and social engineering.

From The Wall Street Journal