Why Social Engineering Works So Well 🔐

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In this video, Keith Barker covers some of the social engineering techniques and tactics that hostile actors use. Social engineering isn't simply about stealing data or stealing money, they can also be deployed to compromise the thoughts of a group of people. If an attacker or group could modify the minds and thoughts of tens or hundreds of millions of people, the consequences could be monumental.

The fabric of social media is an ideal attack vector for influence campaigns, in which internet users and their thoughts get targeted. There are underlying reasons that certain social engineering techniques are so effective. These are often called the principles.

The first principle is authority. Humans are hard-wired to be persuaded by people they consider in positions of authority. Crucially, that doesn't mean anyone with any authority. For a speaker's authority to influence someone due to their authority, the listener has to believe in the authority of the speaker's position.

Intimidation is another principle of social engineering. Intimidation doesn't have to be valid to be effective — if the attacker uses intimidation that the target believes is real, they can persuade them to act how they want them to.

Another key principle is consensus. When a group that you identify with all seem to be in agreement, it's easier to be persuaded along with them.

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