An act of tricking people to reveal sensitive information is associated with which reconnaissance technique?

The act of tricking people into revealing sensitive information is closely associated with social engineering. This technique exploits human psychology to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security.

Social engineering can take many forms, including phishing emails, pretexting, baiting, or exploiting trust, making it incredibly effective for attackers looking to gather sensitive data, like usernames, passwords, or personal information. The effectiveness of social engineering lies in its focus on the human element, which often can be more easily manipulated than technical controls.

In contrast, the other techniques listed—like ping sweeping, port scanning, and DNS footprinting—are more technical methods used to gather information about networks or systems rather than individuals. These techniques typically involve scanning for active devices, open ports, or resolving domain names, and do not focus on the direct manipulation of human behavior to obtain information. This distinction helps to clarify why social engineering is the correct answer in this context.