Learn in the textbookTargeted Attacks and Phishing Scams
DefinitionSocial engineering (ソーシャルエンジニアリング) is the umbrella term for obtaining passwords and other secret information without computer techniques, by exploiting people's carelessness and assumptions.
ExplanationBecause the target is people rather than a weakness in the system, technical measures such as encrypting communications or antivirus software cannot stop it on their own. It also covers acts that need no computer at all, such as shoulder hacking (ショルダーハック), peeking at a screen from behind, and trashing (トラッシング), picking clues out of paper and media thrown out as garbage. Measures aimed at human behavior, such as training employees and agreeing on procedures for passing on information, are therefore essential too.
AnalogyIt is like a burglar who leaves the lock alone and instead poses as a delivery driver so the resident opens the door. What the burglar targets is not the lock but the resident's assumptions.
Memory hookRead it as "engineering" done through the "social" side of life, and it is clear that the one being worked on is a person, not a machine.