Influence vs. Manipulation: What is the Difference

Can you think of people that have made a difference in your life? Perhaps your parents or maybe a teacher or mentor? They somehow helped you be a better person. Do you think of them as manipulating or influential? The words manipulation and influence are often used interchangeably. For example, one website describes social engineering as “a manipulation technique that exploits human error to gain…

Ep. 167 – Human Element Series – Paying Attention To The Human Side with Vanessa Bohns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o2PXqAm3vM Today we will be talking with Vanessa Bohns. Vanessa is a social psychologist and professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University. She holds a PhD from Columbia University and an AB from Brown University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, and her research has been widely…

Authentically Inauthentic

Part of the job of a social engineer is creating a good pretext or a good story, that you tell others to influence them to take a certain action. I have learned that one of the most important aspects of pretexting is impersonation. Impersonation is acting like or exhibiting the behavior of the person you are pretending to be. Impersonation can come naturally to some, but it did not for me. I…

Burnout in the Cybersecurity Community

It is Monday morning and 9am has come too early. You did not sleep well; that unfinished client report weighed heavily on your mind. There is still sleep in your eyes as you log on, hoping that morning coffee will kick in soon. You worked through the weekend, there was just no way around it. Even so, you find you have 85 unread emails, the missed messages light on your phone is blinking, and…

Understanding Communication Styles

Picture this; you’re sitting in a restaurant with five of your friends. Two of them are Sam and Alex. When Alex’s order comes, it’s wrong. Alex mentions this to Sam but decides to eat the meal anyways, rather than send it back. Sam, however, wants to help. Sam tells the waiter about the mistake and ensures it gets corrected. When Alex asks Sam why he did it, Sam says “I can’t help it, I’m such an…

To Beat Them Join Them

For people and businesses alike, it's daunting and nerve-racking to be continuously warned by mainstream media and influential communities about an imminent threat; an attacker that is both faceless and shapeless. However, the threat is a real one and it can strike from anywhere and at any time. The good news is that there are ways to avoid the threat or sidestep it in most cases. And, when…

The Impact of COVID-19 on Security

The pandemic changed our lives and society in so many ways. As a result of COVID-19, most of us now work, go to school, worship, have medical appointments, attend funerals and weddings, and socialize, all online. If the stress of a global pandemic was not bad enough, criminals sought ways to profit from these unprecedented changes to our lives. Cyber-based crimes increased to levels never…