What is social engineering in cybersecurity?

Social engineering in cybersecurity refers to the manipulative tactics used by individuals to deceive others into divulging confidential information or performing certain actions that compromise security. This could involve impersonating a trusted source in order to extract sensitive data such as passwords, social security numbers, or other personal information. The effectiveness of social engineering relies heavily on understanding human psychology and exploiting trust, curiosity, or fear.

The other options do not accurately capture the essence of social engineering. While technical means to gain access involves hacking or exploiting system weaknesses, this is not social engineering. Creating software vulnerabilities pertains to coding issues and technical flaws, which are unrelated to manipulating human behavior. Designing secure networks focuses on the structural aspect of cybersecurity rather than the human element, which is central to social engineering. Thus, the manipulation of individuals to gain information is the defining characteristic of social engineering in cybersecurity.