Social Engineering - Christopher Hadnagy [3]
No matter how secure a system is, there’s always a way to break through. Often, the human elements of the system are the easiest to manipulate and deceive. Creating a state of panic, using influence, manipulation tactics, or causing feelings of trust are all methods used to put a victim at ease.
The scenario outlined here is an extreme example, but it shows that, with a little creativity, seemingly impossible scams can be pulled off.
The first step in becoming more secure is simply conceding that a system is vulnerable and can be compromised. On the contrary, by believing a breach is impossible, a blindfold is placed over your eyes as you run full speed ahead. Social Engineering is designed to provide you with invaluable insight into the methods used to break seemingly secure systems and expose the threats that exist in the largest vulnerability, the people. This book is not a guide for hackers—they already know how to break in and are finding new ways every day. Instead, Chris Hadnagy offers those inside the fence an opportunity to take a look from the other side, the dark side, as he exposes the thinking and methods of the world’s most malicious hackers, con men, and social engineers.
Remember: those who build walls think differently than those who seek to go over, under, around, or through them. As I often tell my audiences, if you think you can’t be conned, you’re just the person I’d like to meet.
Paul Wilson
October 2010
Preface and Acknowledgments
It was just a few years ago that I was sitting with my friend and mentor, Mati Aharoni, deciding to launch www.social-engineer.org. The idea grew and grew until it became an amazing website supported by some truly brilliant people. It didn’t take long to come up with the idea to put those years of research and experience down into the pages of a book. When I had the idea, I was met with overwhelming support. That said, some specific acknowledgements are very important to how this book became what it is today.
From a very young age I was always interested in manipulating people. Not in a bad way, but I found it interesting how many times I was able to obtain things or be in situations that would be unreal. One time I was with a good friend and business associate at a tech conference at the Javits Center in New York City. A large corporation had rented FAO Schwarz for a private party. Of course, the party was by invitation only, and my friend and I were two small fish in a large pond: the party was for the CEOs and upper management of companies like HP, Microsoft, and the like. My friend said to me, “It would be really cool to get into that party.”
I simply responded, “Why can’t we?” At that point I thought to myself, “I know we can get in there if we just ask the right way.” So I approached the women in charge of the ticket booth and the guest list and I spoke to them for a few minutes. As I was speaking to them, Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, walked by. I had picked up a Microsoft plush toy at one of the booths and as I joke I turned to Linus and said, “Hey, you want to autograph my Microsoft toy?”
He got a good laugh out of it and as he grabbed his tickets he said, “Nice job, young man. I will see you at the party.”
I turned back to the women in charge of the ticket booth and was handed two tickets to an exclusive party inside FAO Schwartz.
It wasn’t until later in life that I began to analyze stories like this, after some started calling it “the Hadnagy Effect.” As funny as that sounds, I began to see that much of what occurred to me wasn’t luck or fate, but rather knowing how to be where I needed to be at the right time.
That doesn’t mean it didn’t take hard work and a lot of help along the way. My muse in life is my wonderful wife. For almost two decades you have supported me in all my ideas and efforts and you are my best friend, my confidant, and my support pillar. Without you I would not be where I am today. In addition, you have produced two of the most beautiful children