| the application of the findings of social science to the solution of actual social problems. |
| social engineering n. The practical application of sociological principles to particular social problems. social engineer n. |
social engineering jargon, security
A term used among crackers and samurai for cracking techniques that rely on weaknesses in wetware rather than software; the aim is to trick people into revealing passwords or other information that compromises a target system's security. Classic scams include phoning up a mark who has the required information and posing as a field service tech or a fellow employee with an urgent access problem. See also the tiger team story in the patch entry.
[The Jargon File]
(2006-11-22)
