What is a primary goal of social engineering?

The primary goal of social engineering is to manipulate individuals into revealing confidential information. This tactic exploits human psychology rather than relying on technical vulnerabilities in systems or networks. Social engineers often use various forms of communication, such as phone calls, emails, or in-person interactions, to build trust or create a sense of urgency, persuading the target to divulge sensitive details such as passwords, financial information, or access to secure systems. By focusing on the human element, social engineering attacks can bypass many technical security measures, making awareness and training for individuals essential in countering such threats.

Enhancing network security pertains to improving the technical safeguards in place and does not align with the deceptive nature of social engineering. Similarly, analyzing traffic patterns focuses more on technical vulnerabilities rather than on human interaction, and encrypting communication involves securing data transmission, which is also not related to manipulating people for information.