5 things you need to know about social engineering

Social engineering plays an important part in a significant number of cyberattacks, however big, small or sophisticated the crime is. In fact, as ESET’s senior researcher David Harley has previously observed, it has “been a constant all through the life of internet security”.

But what is it exactly? In its broadest sense, social engineering is about psychological manipulation – getting people to do things you want them to do. For example, you could socially engineer a parking warden to avoid a parking fine, or play up your employer’s ego for a salary rise.

5 things you need to know about social engineering