A sardonic term for alternative solutions, social engineering refers to hacking a system through the people, not the technol­ ogy. Bribes, seductions, blackmail, payoffs, dumpster diving, threats, and even physical violence (sometimes called rubber hose cryptanalysis) can secure passwords, reveal backdoors, uncover data, and otherwise compromise a system by going after the people who work with that system.

Social engineering attacks can be risky, as they expose the hacker to personal contact even when conducted through third-party channels. At times, though, they can be quite ef­ fective, especially when dealing with heavily secured systems. Mages keep various tricks up their sleeves for such situations, of course, but for hackers with good looks, personal charisma, lots of money or trade goods, or simply an intimidating presence and sociopathic tendencies, the social engineering approach contains useful tools for all-purpose subversion.