Which of the following is a form of penetration testing that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking people into breaking normal security procedures?

Social engineering is the practice of manipulating individuals through deception and psychological tactics to bypass security controls without technical exploitation. It encompasses techniques including phishing, pretexting, and impersonation that all rely on exploiting human trust and behavior. The defining characteristic is that the attacker targets human psychology rather than technical vulnerabilities.

Piggybacking is a specific physical access technique where an unauthorized person gains entry by being knowingly allowed through by an authorized person, not a broad manipulation methodology.

Tailgating is a specific physical intrusion method where an attacker follows closely behind an authorized person through a secured entry without their consent.

Eavesdropping is a passive interception attack targeting communications or conversations, not a technique that tricks people into breaking security procedures.