Pretending to be someone or something else; disguising one's true nature or identity to deceive others.
From French mascarade, from Italian mascherata, from maschera meaning 'mask.' Originally referred to masked balls and entertainments in 16th century Europe before evolving to mean any form of deceptive disguise.
Masquerade balls were once serious political and social events where anonymity allowed people to speak freely and cross class boundaries temporarily. Today, computer security experts use the term 'masquerading' to describe malicious software that pretends to be legitimate programs—a digital version of the same deceptive principle.
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