AQA · GCSE · Computer Science
Course version: 8525 · Version from Sept 2020
Students should know that social engineering is the art of manipulating…
Full specification wording
Social engineering: Students should know that social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information.
This knowledge statement fixes the exact scope you must know: social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information.
Checked against the AQA 8525 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 10
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
This knowledge statement fixes the exact scope you must know: social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information. Learn both halves. The first half is the method, manipulating people through persuasion or deception; the second half is the goal, obtaining confidential information such as passwords, account details or personal data. A reliable method is to apply the two halves as a test to any scenario. For example, an email that pretends to be from a bank and asks the recipient to confirm their password manipulates a person to give up confidential information, so it is social engineering. A piece of malware that spreads with no human involvement fails the manipulation half. In a multiple-choice question, reject options that omit either the manipulation of people or the confidential-information goal, and select the option that keeps both.
What earns the marks
- Social engineering is described as the art of manipulating people.
- The manipulation is intended to make people give up confidential information.
- A scenario such as impersonating a bank to obtain a password is correctly identified as social engineering.
- Scenarios with no human manipulation, such as self-spreading malware, are not social engineering.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Remembering only the manipulation half and forgetting the confidential-information goal.
Put it right: Learn the full statement with both parts.
Treating any persuasive message as social engineering.
Put it right: Check that confidential information is the target.
Assuming social engineering needs technical skill.
Put it right: It exploits human trust and persuasion, not system flaws.
Exam tips
- Memorise the statement as two linked parts: manipulating people, and giving up confidential information.
- Test each option against both parts and eliminate any that fails one.
- Look for the option that mentions people being persuaded to reveal confidential information.
Try the lesson
The start of the Social engineering: Students should know that social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which description best explains what social engineering is?
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