Curaga / Cofotoisme / Getty Images It’s been a boom time for social engineering. Pandemic panic, desperation as income concerns grew, and worry over health and wellness made it easier for criminals to tap into fear. Social engineering, of course, means attacking the user rather than the computing system itself, trying to extract information or incite an action that will lead to compromise. It's as old as lying, with a new name for the computing age—and that's a perfect metaphor for how social engineering tactics evolve. "It's generally the same tricks wrapped up in new packaging—and that's exactly what we are seeing,” said Perry Carpenter, chief evangelist and strategy officer at KnowBe4, a security awareness training company.