What does social engineering involve in the context of cybersecurity?

Social engineering in the context of cybersecurity primarily revolves around the manipulation of individuals to obtain confidential information or unauthorized access. This tactic exploits psychological factors rather than technical vulnerabilities. Attackers often use deception to trick individuals into revealing personal details, such as passwords or financial information, by creating a sense of urgency, trust, or fear.

For instance, an attacker might impersonate an IT support technician and ask a user for their login credentials under the pretense of needing to resolve an issue. This approach relies heavily on human behavior and can be particularly effective because it bypasses conventional security measures that focus on systems and technology rather than the human element.

The other options revolve around proactive security measures such as educating users about policies, using encryption, and ensuring software updates are applied. While these are essential components of an overall cybersecurity strategy, they do not directly pertain to the deceptive tactics and manipulation that define social engineering.