Final answer:
Social engineering is a technique used by hackers to trick users into revealing private information through misrepresentation and fraud.
Step-by-step explanation:
Social engineering is a technique used to trick users out of private information through misrepresentation and fraud. It is a method commonly employed by hackers to gain access to websites or to manipulate individuals into clicking on malicious links or divulging sensitive information. Examples of social engineering attacks include phishing emails, where the attacker poses as a trusted entity to trick the recipient into revealing personal information, and pretexting, where the attacker fabricates a scenario to gain the victim's trust and gather information.