Social engineering manipulates people into doing something that helps an attacker: revealing a password, approving a payment, opening a file or holding a door. It works because it targets human instincts rather than technical flaws, so a fully patched network can still be breached through one convincing email. Security+ expects you to recognize each technique by its channel and method, and to know which controls reduce the risk. Most real breaches involve a human element at some point, which is why this topic is always well represented on the exam.
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