What do "social engineers" typically use to gain unauthorized access to locations?

Social engineers primarily rely on impersonation and deception to gain unauthorized access to locations. This technique revolves around manipulating individuals into breaking normal security protocols. For example, they may pose as someone with legitimate access, such as a maintenance worker or an employee, to trick people into allowing them entry.

While technical gadgets and physical force can also be methods of gaining access, they are not the hallmark of social engineering. Social engineering fundamentally focuses on psychological manipulation rather than brute force or technical means. Therefore, the combination of impersonation and deception exemplifies the essence of how social engineers operate in their attempts to bypass security measures.

Including both technical gadgets and physical force in the definition of social engineering oversimplifies and misrepresents the primary strategy employed by these individuals. They leverage human trust and vulnerabilities, which makes the approach distinctively effective and a critical area of concern in security practices.