social engineering
noun
1
: management of human beings in accordance with their place and function in society : applied social science
2
: social methods (such as phishing) that are used to obtain personal or confidential information which can then be used illicitly
The previously noted trend of switching from social engineering to hacking methods in attacks on organizations strengthened …—
San Fernando Valley (California) Business Journal
San Fernando Valley (California) Business Journal
social engineer
noun
plural social engineers
Examples of social engineering in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kroll’s 2024 Data Breach Outlook report also shows that social engineering attacks, such as phishing scams, are on the rise.
—María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024
The area of biggest impact from AI, Wednesday’s assessment said, would be in social engineering, particularly for less-skilled actors.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2024
But dehumanization is the price any institution pays when considerations of social engineering supplant those of individual achievement.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2024
Elements of both the Left and the Right are minded toward social engineering.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 3 Jan. 2024
Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI, and Wednesday’s announcement coincided with its release of a report noting that generative AI is expected to enhance malicious social engineering, leading to more sophisticated deepfakes and voice cloning .
—Frank Bajak, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
Meta claimed that the personas were carrying out social engineering attacks on targets, attempting to get the victims to click on links that would unmask their IP address.
—Forbes Daily, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
The health care sector, which ranked first in 2022, ranked second last year, with third place belonging to professional services, which includes social engineering attacks such as phishing scams where victims are tricked into providing sensitive information.
—María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024
Most capability uplift in reconnaissance, social engineering and exfiltration.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2024
María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024
The area of biggest impact from AI, Wednesday’s assessment said, would be in social engineering, particularly for less-skilled actors.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2024
But dehumanization is the price any institution pays when considerations of social engineering supplant those of individual achievement.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2024
Elements of both the Left and the Right are minded toward social engineering.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 3 Jan. 2024
Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI, and Wednesday’s announcement coincided with its release of a report noting that generative AI is expected to enhance malicious social engineering, leading to more sophisticated deepfakes and voice cloning .
—Frank Bajak, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
Meta claimed that the personas were carrying out social engineering attacks on targets, attempting to get the victims to click on links that would unmask their IP address.
—Forbes Daily, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
The health care sector, which ranked first in 2022, ranked second last year, with third place belonging to professional services, which includes social engineering attacks such as phishing scams where victims are tricked into providing sensitive information.
—María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024
Most capability uplift in reconnaissance, social engineering and exfiltration.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'social engineering.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of social engineering was
in 1899
Dictionary Entries Near social engineering
Cite this Entry
“Social engineering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20engineering. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share