What is a common tactic used in social engineering?

Convincing individuals to reveal personal information via deceit is a key tactic in social engineering. This method relies on manipulation and deception to exploit human psychology rather than technical vulnerabilities. Social engineers often present themselves as trustworthy individuals or authority figures to gain the confidence of their targets, leading them to disclose sensitive information such as passwords, social security numbers, or other personal data.

This tactic is effective because it bypasses traditional security measures that focus on external threats, emphasizing the importance of awareness and training to recognize and respond to social engineering attempts. Awareness programs that educate individuals about these tactics can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches caused by human error.

The other options involve forms of cyber threats or protective measures but do not characterize social engineering itself. Sending malware through emails pertains to malicious software distribution, creating fake news articles is related to misinformation, and installing security software is a defensive strategy. None of these directly align with the essence of social engineering, which fundamentally targets the human element in security breaches.