What is a common technique employed in social engineering attacks?

Social engineering attacks heavily rely on the manipulation of human psychology rather than technical skills or tools. By exploiting human trust and emotions, attacking individuals can convince them to divulge sensitive information, bypass security protocols, or perform actions that compromise security. This technique may involve tactics such as impersonating a trusted figure, creating a sense of urgency, or playing on emotions like fear or curiosity.

While creating fake websites can be a method employed in social engineering, it typically serves as a supplementary tactic rather than the foundational strategy of exploiting trust. Advanced programming skills are more relevant in cyber attacks that focus on technical vulnerabilities, and deploying malware is also more aligned with traditional hacking methods rather than social engineering. The essence of social engineering is understanding and manipulating human behavior, making the exploitation of trust and emotions a central technique in these kinds of attacks.