What characterizes social engineering attacks?

Social engineering attacks are characterized by their reliance on manipulating individuals to gain confidential information rather than exploiting software or hardware vulnerabilities. These attacks often involve psychological tactics, where the attacker creates a sense of urgency, trust, or fear to compel the target to disclose sensitive information, such as passwords or personal identification numbers.

The effectiveness of social engineering lies in its focus on human behavior and decision-making, rather than technical knowledge or extensive modifications to systems or hardware. Attackers may impersonate trusted figures, use phishing emails, or engage in pretexting to trick individuals into revealing their confidential data, thus bypassing technical security measures altogether. This underscores the importance of training individuals to recognize and respond to these tactics, making awareness a critical component of an organization's security posture.