Pretextingis form of social engineering in which an attacker fabricates a story to convince a victim to give up valuable information or access to a service or system. The distinguishing feature of a ...

Webster’s defines the term “pretext” as “that which is put forward to conceal a true purpose or object; an ostensible reason; the misleading appearance or behavior assumed with this intention.” ...

Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. Based in New York, Sandoval is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on ...