In computer security, social engineering is a term that describes a non-technical kind of intrusion that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking people to break normal security procedures.

Essentially, Social engineering is the human side of breaking into a corporate network. Companies with authentication processes, firewalls, VPNs and network monitoring software are still wide open to an attack if an employee unknowingly gives away key information in an email, by answering questions over the phone, or by allowing unauthorized visitors into sensitive areas.