Hack the Hackers 2025 – Master the Certified Ethical Hacker Challenge!

The selection of social engineering as the method that is not considered a formal ethical hacking testing method is rooted in the fundamental definitions of the categories involved in ethical hacking. Ethical hacking typically employs structured testing methods to assess security vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and applications. Black box testing, white box testing, and gray box testing are all recognized methods within the field of ethical hacking, each with a specific focus and approach.

Black box testing involves assessing a system with no prior knowledge of the internal workings, simulating an external attacker. White box testing, on the other hand, provides the tester full knowledge of the system's internals, allowing for more comprehensive analysis of code and architecture. Gray box testing stands somewhere in between, granting limited information about the internal workings while still contextualizing the external threat landscape.

Social engineering, however, primarily involves manipulating individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security. While it is a significant concern in cybersecurity, it doesn't fit into the structured categories of formal ethical hacking testing methods. Its focus on human factors rather than technical vulnerabilities sets it apart from tested methodologies designed to evaluate security systems. Thus, it is identified as the outlier among the given options.