social engineering
n.
Term used among {cracker}s and {samurai} for cracking techniques that
rely on weaknesses in {wetware} rather than software; the aim is to
trick people into revealing passwords or other information that
compromises a target system's security. Classic scams include phoning
up a mark who has the required information and posing as a field
service tech or a fellow employee with an urgent access problem. See
also the {tiger team} story in the {patch} entry, and {rubber-hose
cryptanalysis}.
social engineering
<jargon, security> A term used among {crackers} and {samurai}
for cracking techniques that rely on weaknesses in {wetware}
rather than software; the aim is to trick people into
revealing passwords or other information that compromises a
target system's security. Classic scams include phoning up a
mark who has the required information and posing as a field
service tech or a fellow employee with an urgent access
problem. See also the {tiger team} story in the {patch}
entry.
[{Jargon File}]
(2006-11-22)