Social-Engineer Newsletter Vol 08 – Issue 110

Hi, It's Your Bank Calling So, you receive a call and it’s a local number or it’s the phone number of your bank, should you answer it or let go to voicemail? But the caller ID looks familiar, so you answer. Can you trust that the person that is calling is who they say they are? Was this a sales call, a real call or something called vishing? Vishing??? Many people reason that if the number…

Social-Engineer Newsletter Vol 07 – Issue 92

I've Got A Bridge I'd Like To Sell You Sometimes it’s easy to forget that social engineering cons can be used to do more than just break in to your corporate network or for money-wiring scams. Many times, it can involve theft of actual property. One of the earliest documented cases centered around George C. Parker. Back at the start of the twentieth century, George sold unsuspecting people…

Social-Engineer Newsletter Vol 06 – Issue 84

Back to School Security Back-to-school time can mean a lot of things — a new backpack, a teary sendoff at the bus stop, or spending way too much on textbooks. But here at Social-Engineer.org, back-to-school means refreshing security awareness for students. There are plenty of reasons students could be targeted for social engineering attacks. Attackers might try to get information about the…

What damage does social engineering really cause anyway?

Sometimes in the tech field, we can get so caught up in “what’s new” that we lose sight of the importance of “what’s practical.” The coolest new digital hacks are interesting but when it comes to information security, longevity and popularity of attacks relevant to your industry are what awareness campaigns are built on. The massive amounts of financial damage caused by social engineering attack…

The Pizza Delivery Man is a Social Engineer

Everyone knows I am a stickler when it comes to the free pizza but this story just takes free pizza to a new level for social engineers, scam artists and con-men. Most of us have probably done this: You are hungry, so you call your local pizza place, realize you have no cash, so you tell the guy on the phone you need to pay with your credit card. You read off the numbers tell him to put…

Social Engineering CTF Update

It has been only a week since we launched the registration for the Social-Engineer.Org First Social Engineering CTF - How Strong is Your Schmooze. What has happened in over a week? The awareness that has been raised is just amazing. There has been many stories written and podcasts discussing the contest and what the rules are. People are wondering and very curious about what it will entail.…