social engineering

( n.)

   Term used among {cracker}s and {samurai} for cracking techniques that
   rely  on  weaknesses in {wetware} rather than software; the aim is to
   trick  people  into  revealing  passwords  or  other information that
   compromises a target system's security. Classic scams include phoning
   up  a  mark  who  has  the required information and posing as a field
   service  tech or a fellow employee with an urgent access problem. See
   also  the  {tiger  team} story in the {patch} entry, and {rubber-hose
   cryptanalysis}.

[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {rubber-hose cryptanalysis}{samurai}]