How does social engineering exploit human psychology?

The selection pertaining to manipulating individuals into divulging confidential information through deception or trust accurately reflects the essence of social engineering. Social engineering tactics are designed to exploit psychological factors such as trust, fear, curiosity, or the desire to help. These approaches often involve impersonating authority figures or utilizing pretexting, where an attacker presents themselves in a believable manner to convince victims to share sensitive information, such as passwords or financial data.

This technique operates on the premise that humans can sometimes be more vulnerable than systems and technologies. Rather than targeting technical vulnerabilities, social engineering focuses on the human element, leveraging emotions and social interactions to gain unauthorized access to information.

In contrast, the other options relate to strategies that enhance security rather than exploit psychological weaknesses. For instance, creating complex passwords and encrypting sensitive information are defensive measures aimed at safeguarding data. Similarly, controlling access to systems ensures that only authorized individuals can enter, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Each of these options serves to protect against security threats, which is fundamentally different from the manipulative tactics employed in social engineering.