social engineering

noun
the application of the findings of social science to the solution of actual social problems.

Origin:
1895–1900

social engineer, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To social engineering
Collins
World English Dictionary
social engineering
 
n
the manipulation of the social position and function of individuals in order to manage change in a society

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Social engineering is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Slang Dictionary

social engineering

n. 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.
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

social engineering definition

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.
[Jargon File]
(2006-11-22)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Example sentences
Engineers know this well, so social engineering is the way that this subject
  should be better expressed.
Social engineering has become the major mission of colleges.
They leverage advanced social engineering methodologies and popular
  technologies to maximize number of infected computers.
The truth is, however, that social engineering often plays a big part in
  helping an attacker slip through security barriers.
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