The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):

social engineering
 n.

    Term used among crackers and samurai for cracking techniques that rely
    on weaknesses in wetware rather than software; the aim is to trick people
    into revealing passwords or other information that compromises a target
    system's security. Classic scams include phoning up a mark who has the
    required information and posing as a field service tech or a fellow
    employee with an urgent access problem. See also the tiger team story in
    the patch entry, and rubber-hose cryptanalysis.


The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

social engineering

    A term used among crackers and samurai
   for cracking techniques that rely on weaknesses in wetware
   rather than software; the aim is to trick people into
   revealing passwords or other information that compromises a
   target system's security.  Classic scams include phoning up a
   mark who has the required information and posing as a field
   service tech or a fellow employee with an urgent access
   problem.  See also the tiger team story in the patch
   entry.

   [Jargon File]

   (2006-11-22)