Social Engineering - Christopher Hadnagy [87]
The following section analyzes the topic of gesturing a bit further by discussing the importance of the position and placement of a target’s arms and hands.
Arm and Hand Placement
Law enforcement officers are trained to notice the placement and position of the arms and hands during both interviews and interrogations. An increase in movement or “fidgeting” during an interrogation can show an increase in stress levels, signifying that the interrogation is having the desired effect. This is, of course, in a law enforcement setting; in a social engineering setting you would watch for these same signs, but signs of stress in the target might indicate you need to back off (unless your goal is to stress him or her out).
Certain law enforcement officers are taught to pay attention to a couple of signs:
Elbows generally hang free next to the body when a person is relaxed. When you feel threatened or scared your body’s natural reaction is to pull the elbows in towards the rib cage. In essence this position serves as a layer of protection to one’s internal organs that might be threatened.
Hand gestures often can be very revealing, too. A target may describe something with his hands that he doesn’t say. For example, in a crime interrogation suspects may make a gesture that describes the activity (that is, strangling, shooting, stabbing, and so on) but just say the word crime or incident. Watching for the subtle hand gestures your target may use is important.
Taking note of signs that the target is feeling threatened or scared can help you to adjust and put them back at ease. When you approach a target, much can be said with body language and arm and hand gestures before the first word is even spoken.
Other gestures to take notice of include:
An open palm might indicate sincerity.
Steepled fingers could indicate the person feels authoritative.
Tapping or drumming fingers can indicate anxiety.
Touching the face can indicate thought; touching hair can indicate insecurity; and touching ears can indicate indecisiveness.
Taking note of these gestures in your target can tell you a lot about his mindset. On the other hand, performing these gestures can help you to portray one of these images if this is your pretext.
From a social engineering standpoint here are a few key points about gestures, which can be imperative if you are a “big” gesturer like me:
No one should remember the gesture, but only the message attached to it. If people tend to say, “Wow, that guy gestures a lot” you need to calm down a bit. The message is important, not the gesture.
Avoid monotony. Even in gestures you can be so bland, boring, and repetitive that the gesture can adjust the target’s perception of you to be negative.
Be very concerned about exhibiting anxiety, such as tapping or drumming your fingers or making jerky movements. They tell the target you are nervous and detract from your message.
Too much is too bad. Overgesturing can also detract from your message.
Remember that using facial expressions, gestures, and posture is a package deal. They must all blend together, be balanced, and support your pretext.
As good as all this information is, one tool in the interrogation arsenal can make or break the way you use this knowledge in your social engineering skills.
Listening Your Way to Success
Probably not one skill exists that can be as encompassing as listening. Listening is a major part of being a social engineer. What you have to realize is a major difference exists between hearing and listening.
It is commonly believed that people retain much less than 50% of what they hear. That means if you are talking to a person for ten minutes he will remember only a few minutes of what you said. Although people eke through life this way, it is not acceptable for a social engineer.
Often the little things that are said can make or break how successful you are in a social engineering endeavor. This area is where massively improving your listening skills comes