Social engineering is arguably one of the most potent and persistent forms of cybercrime. There’s a reason why social engineering is so popular with cybercriminals: Hacking people is a lot simpler than breaching software.

To hack software networks, one needs to understand the target environment and how to pry open weaknesses and uncover loopholes – which requires tech skills and resources. On the other hand, hacking humans simply requires basic knowledge of human nature – our susceptibility to greed, lust, curiosity, and impatience.