Editing Social engineering (security) (section)

{{short description|Psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{For|the influencing of attitudes and social behaviors on a large scale|Social engineering (political science)}}
In the context of [[information security]], '''social engineering''' is the use of psychological influence of people into performing actions or divulging [[Confidentiality|confidential information]]. This differs from [[psychological manipulation]] in that it doesn't need to be controlling, negative or a one-way transaction. Manipulation involves a [[zero-sum game]] where one party wins and the other loses while social engineering can be win-win for both parties. A type of [[confidence trick]] for the purpose of information gathering, [[fraud]], or system access, it differs from a traditional "con" in the sense that it is often one of the many steps in a more complex fraud scheme.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ILaY4jBWXfcC|title=Security engineering: a guide to building dependable distributed systems|last=Anderson|first=Ross J.|publisher=Wiley|year=2008|isbn=978-0-470-06852-6|edition=2|location=Indianapolis, IN|page=1040|author-link=Ross J. Anderson}} Chapter 2, page 17</ref> It has also been defined as "any act that influences a person to take an action that may or may not be in their best interests."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.social-engineer.org/framework/general-discussion/social-engineering-defined/|title=Social Engineering Defined |work=Security Through Education|access-date=3 October 2021|language=en-TH}}</ref>

Research done in 2020 has indicated that social engineering will be one of the most prominent challenges of the upcoming decade. Having proficiency in social engineering will be increasingly important for organizations and countries, due to the impact on [[geopolitics]] as well. Social engineering raises the question of whether our decisions will be accurately informed if our primary information is engineered and biased.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Guitton |first=Matthieu J. |date=2020-06-01 |title=Cybersecurity, social engineering, artificial intelligence, technological addictions: Societal challenges for the coming decade |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563220300613 |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |volume=107 |pages=106307 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2020.106307 |s2cid=214111644 |issn=0747-5632|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Social engineering attacks have been increasing in intensity and number, cementing the need for novel detection techniques and [[cyber security]] educational programs.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Salahdine |first=Fatima |date=2019 |title=Social Engineering Attacks: A Survey |url=https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/11/4/89 |journal=School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of North Dakota |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=89}}</ref>