Which method used by hackers relies on the trusting nature of the person being attacked?

Social engineering is a method employed by hackers that exploits the trusting nature of individuals. It involves manipulating people into divulging confidential or personal information that may be used for fraudulent purposes. This approach can take many forms, such as impersonating a trusted source to gain access to sensitive data or tricking individuals into revealing their login credentials.

The key aspect of social engineering lies in its reliance on human psychology rather than technical hacking skills. By preying on trust, fear, or urgency, attackers can convince victims to act in ways that compromise their security. For example, an attacker might pose as an IT technician and call an employee to request their password, leveraging the employee's inherent trust in authority figures within their organization.

Other methods listed, like phishing and malware, can also involve manipulation or deception but are often seen as more technical or reliant on digital tactics. Phishing specifically uses deceptive emails or messages to lure individuals into providing sensitive information, but it is a subset of social engineering tactics. Conversely, malware involves injecting harmful software into systems, and brute force attacks are purely technical attempts to crack passwords through exhaustive trial and error, not dependent on exploiting human trust.