English

Noun

social engineering ‎(uncountable)

1. (sociology) Use of numerical data to inform social programs.

   Using social engineering, the new cardinal has efficiently re-arranged the Church's outreach.

2. (political science) Use of propaganda by a government to sway perceptions and attitudes of its own citizenry.

   "This is Your Brain on Drugs" was a humorous failure at social engineering.

3. (computer security) The practice of tricking a user into giving, or giving access to, sensitive information, thereby bypassing most or all protection.

   After our hacking attempts failed, we tried social engineering, walking into the building and claiming we had to do some urgent work in the server room.

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