Social Engineering

As it pertains to computer security, social-engineering is a technique used in combination with technical deception in Phishing attacks and other types of online fraud. Social engineers send official looking e-mails, often requesting "validation" or "update" of user information. Typically, they indicate that this information must be provided immediately. They then provide links to fraudulent Web sites, a technical deception, which is designed to lure recipients into divulging sensitive personal data such as credit card numbers, account usernames, passwords and Social Security numbers. Given the volume of e-mail that can be sent by bulk mailers, a Phishing attack can hit millions of people within a few hours.