A consultant is hired to do physical penetration testing at a large financial company. In the first day of his assessment, the consultant goes to the company`s building dressed like an electrician and

A man trap is a physical security countermeasure consisting of a small room with two interlocking doors designed to prevent tailgating - it is a defensive control, not an attack technique.

Tailgating, sometimes called piggybacking, occurs when an attacker exploits the social norm of holding a door open by physically following an authenticated employee through an access-controlled entry. The consultant in the scenario bypassed the main access gate without presenting credentials by staying close behind the authorized employee. This technique targets physical access controls rather than technical ones and is a common first step in on-site penetration tests.

Shoulder surfing involves observing someone's screen, keyboard, or PIN entry to steal credentials or sensitive information and requires line-of-sight, not unauthorized physical entry.

Social engineering is a broad category of attacks that manipulate people psychologically; while tailgating can involve a social element, the specific action of physically following someone through a gate is classified as tailgating.