Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking

Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking

by Christopher Hadnagy
Released December 2010
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780470639535

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Book description

The first book to reveal and dissect the technical aspect of many social engineering maneuvers

From elicitation, pretexting, influence and manipulation all aspects of social engineering are picked apart, discussed and explained by using real world examples, personal experience and the science behind them to unraveled the mystery in social engineering.

Kevin Mitnick—one of the most famous social engineers in the world—popularized the term "social engineering." He explained that it is much easier to trick someone into revealing a password for a system than to exert the effort of hacking into the system. Mitnick claims that this social engineering tactic was the single-most effective method in his arsenal. This indispensable book examines a variety of maneuvers that are aimed at deceiving unsuspecting victims, while it also addresses ways to prevent social engineering threats.

  • Examines social engineering, the science of influencing a target to perform a desired task or divulge information

  • Arms you with invaluable information about the many methods of trickery that hackers use in order to gather information with the intent of executing identity theft, fraud, or gaining computer system access

  • Reveals vital steps for preventing social engineering threats

Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking does its part to prepare you against nefarious hackers—now you can do your part by putting to good use the critical information within its pages.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Dedication
  3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  4. ABOUT THE TECHNICAL EDITOR
  5. Credits
  6. Foreword
  7. Preface and Acknowledgements
  8. A Look into the World of Social Engineering
    1. Why This Book Is So Valuable
    2. Overview of Social Engineering
    3. Summary
  9. Information Gathering
    1. Gathering Information
    2. Sources for Information Gathering
    3. Communication Modeling
    4. The Power of Communication Models
  10. Elicitation
    1. What Is Elicitation?
    2. The Goals of Elicitation
    3. Mastering Elicitation
    4. Summary
  11. Pretexting: How to Become Anyone
    1. What Is Pretexting?
    2. The Principles and Planning Stages of Pretexting
    3. Successful Pretexting
    4. Summary
  12. Mind Tricks: Psychological Principles Used in Social Engineering
    1. Modes of Thinking
    2. Microexpressions
    3. Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP)
    4. Interview and Interrogation
    5. Building Instant Rapport
    6. The Human Buffer Overflow
    7. Summary
  13. Influence: The Power of Persuasion
    1. The Five Fundamentals of Influence and Persuasion
    2. Influence Tactics
    3. Altering Reality: Framing
    4. Manipulation: Controlling Your Target
    5. Manipulation in Social Engineering
    6. Summary
  14. The Tools of the Social Engineer
    1. Physical Tools
    2. Online Information-Gathering Tools
    3. Summary
  15. Case Studies: Dissecting the Social Engineer
    1. Mitnick Case Study 1: Hacking the DMV
    2. Mitnick Case Study 2: Hacking the Social Security Administration
    3. Hadnagy Case Study 1: The Overconfident CEO
    4. Hadnagy Case Study 2: The Theme Park Scandal
    5. Top-Secret Case Study 1: Mission Not Impossible
    6. Top-Secret Case Study 2: Social Engineering a Hacker
    7. Why Case Studies Are Important
    8. Summary
  16. Prevention and Mitigation
    1. Learning to Identify Social Engineering Attacks
    2. Creating a Personal Security Awareness Culture
    3. Being Aware of the Value of the Information You Are Being Asked For
    4. Keeping Software Updated
    5. Developing Scripts
    6. Learning from Social Engineering Audits
    7. Concluding Remarks
    8. Summary
  17. Index

Product information

  • Title: Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking
  • Author(s): Christopher Hadnagy
  • Release date: December 2010
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470639535