Social Engineering – The Science of Human Hacking

Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking Refines the Sophisticated Side of the Hacker Store - Why Hack Something When You Can Request Access? Unnoticed by firewalls and antivirus software, social engineering relies on human error to gain access to sensitive areas; In this book, renowned expert Christopher Hadnagy explains the most commonly used methods that attract even the most demanding security staff and shows how these methods have been used in the past. The way we make decisions affects everything from our emotions to our security. Hackers have always found ways to take advantage of this decision-making process and get them to do things that are not in their best interest. This second edition is updated to illustrate the latest methods used to share stories, examples, and academic research on how these options are used.

Harden the human firewall against the most current threats

Networks and systems can be hacked, but they can also be protected; when the "system" in question is a human being, there is no software to fall back on, no hardware upgrade, no code that can lock information down indefinitely. Human nature and emotion is the secret weapon of the malicious social engineering, and this book shows you how to recognize, predict, and prevent this type of manipulation by taking you inside the social engineer's bag of tricks.

• Examine the most common social engineering tricks used to gain access
• Discover which popular techniques generally don't work in the real world
• Examine how our understanding of the science behind emotions and decisions can be used by social engineers
• Learn how social engineering factors into some of the biggest recent headlines
• Learn how to use these skills as a professional social engineer and secure your company
• Adopt effective counter-measures to keep hackers at bay

By working from the social engineer's playbook, you gain the advantage of foresight that can help you protect yourself and others from even their best efforts. Social Engineering gives you the inside information you need to mount an unshakeable defense.