The Social-engineer Podcast

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy is joined by Dr. Cortney Warren. Dr. Warren is a Board-Certified Clinical Psychologist and former tenured Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).  She is an expert on addictions, self-deception, eating pathology, and the practice of psychotherapy from a cross-cultural perspective. In addition to publishing in some of the field’s top scientific, peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Warren is passionate about bringing theoretically grounded, empirically-supported psychological research to the general public. So, in addition to her academic work, Dr. Warren is a research consultant, keynote speaker, and writes a blog for Psychology Today.  September 13, 2021   00:00 – Intro  www.social-engineer.com  Managed Voice Phishing    Managed Email Phishing    Adversarial Simulations    Social-Engineer channel on SLACK    CLUTCH    www.innocentlivesfoundation.org  02:10 – Cortney Warren Intro  03:35 – How did you get started

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by Bernie Acre.  Bernie is the Chief Information Officer for the City of Bryan, TX where he’s responsible for all technology and communications systems, including the Fire, Police, Public Works, the municipal electric utility, and a myriad of general support organizations.  Bernie is currently an appointed Member of the Texas Cybersecurity Council. Bernie has a combined 41-years of experience in information technology; including 20+ in the US Air Force and 21 years in the electric utility industry and municipal government. August 16, 2021 00:00 – Intro  www.social-engineer.com  Managed Voice Phishing    Managed Email Phishing    Adversarial Simulations    Social-Engineer channel on SLACK    CLUTCH    www.innocentlivesfoundation.org  03:34 – Bernie Acre Intro 04:43 – How did your transition into this position take place? 08:18 – What makes you proud of the culture that you created around employee awareness?

In this episode, we are joined by Michael Roderick. Michael is the CEO of Small Pond Enterprises which helps thoughtful givers become thought leaders by making their brands referable, their messaging memorable, and their ideas unforgettable. He is also the host of the podcast Access to Anyone which shows how you can get to know anyone you want in business and in life using time-tested relationship-building principles. Michael's unique methodology comes from his own experience of going from being a High School English teacher to a Broadway Producer in under two years.   August 9, 2021   00:00 – Intro  www.social-engineer.com  www.innocentlivesfoundation.org  Managed Voice Phishing   Managed Email Phishing   Adverserial Simulations   Social-Engineer channel on SLACK   CLUTCH   02:08 – Intro to Michael Roderick, CEO of Small Pond Enterprises www.smallpondenterprises.com    www.accesstoanyonepodcast.com 03:20 – High school teacher – where did that come from and wha

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by Michael Fortune.  Michael is the Security Behaviours Team Manager for British Telecom (BT) UK. Michael has been with BT for an amazing 22 years, where he is currently BT’s expert on security behavior, insider threat behavior, and social engineering, and helps guides the business around these risks. With over 160 thousand employees across the globe in his charge, Michael helps run a team of experts who support and drive security programs for the company.  July 19, 2021 00:00 – Intro  www.social-engineer.com  www.social-engineer.org  www.innocentlivesfoundation.org  Managed Voice Phishing  Managed Email Phishing  Adverserial Simulations  Social-Engineer channel on SLACK  CLUTCH  03:37 – Michael Fortune Intro 05:22 – Michael’s Path – how has your background in psychology helped with cyber and information security? 06:10 – Have you been able to use psychological principles in eduction? 07:27 – How do you keep

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy is joined by Teresa Abram.  Teresa is the founder of Handwriting P.I., a full-service handwriting analysis business. Teresa is not only a handwriting analyzer, but also a professional personality investigator who can spot the red flags of a dangerous personality, identify someone’s strengths, and uncover what is holding someone back. Teresa’s interest in handwriting started when she was just 14 years old and has led her to hosting her own podcast, “A Most Unusual T Party” where she uses the letter T to unlock pieces of a person’s story...which is fascinating to listen to! July 12, 2021 00:00: Intro  www.social-engineer.com  Managed Voice Phishing  Managed Email Phishing  Adverserial Simulations  Social-Engineer channel on SLACK  CLUTCH  Innocent Lives Foundation  03:01: Teresa Abram Intro  Handwriting P.I.  A Most Unusual T Party  05:00: How did you get into this at 14 years old?  07:50: How does one practice handwriting analysis?  09:05: What is s

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by Rockie Brockway.  Rockie is currently the Practice Lead for the Office of the CSO for TrustedSec. With over 28 years' experience in information security and business risk, Rockie specializes in Business Risk Analysis and the inherent relationships between data, assets, adversaries, and the organization’s brand value. He provides strategic and tactical advisory services to TrustedSec’s clients, assisting them in maturing their organizations’ security programs.  00:00 – Intro  Social-Engineer.com  Social-Engineer.org  InnocentLivesFoundation.org  SE Vishing Service  SE Phishing Service  Social-Engineer Slack Channel  Pro-Rock.com  Breaking Security Awareness Virtual Conference by Living Security – Chris will appear June 24  03:35 – Rockie Brockway Intro  https://www.trustedsec.com/team/rockie-brockway/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rockie-brockway-6416349/  https://bsidescleveland.com  07:25 – A little about Rockie’s

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Maxie Reynolds are joined by one of our greatest friends and mentors, Joe Navarro.  After serving as an FBI agent for 25 years, Joe has become a nonverbal and behavioral expert. Since retiring, he has authored 14 books in 29 languages dealing with human behavior and body language. His book “What Every BODY Is Saying” remains the #1 selling body-language book in the world for over 12 years.  Joe’s new book “Be Exceptional” brings 40 years of his observations and research into one book.   00:00 – Intro   Social-Engineer.com   Social-Engineer.org   InnocentLivesFoundation.org   SE Vishing Service   SE Phishing Service   Security Assessments   Certified Training Programs   Adversarial Simulations   Social-Engineer channel on SLACK   CLUTCH   June 24th: Chris at Living Security 2nd annual Breaking Security Awareness (digital conference for 2021)   03:54 – Joe Navarro Intro   www.jnbodylanguageacademy.com    https://www.jnforensics.com/m

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by Jason Frank.  Jason has an extensive background in helping both government and Fortune 100 organizations, and has served a course instructor for the Black Hat security conference. Jason is now currently the COO at SpecterOps, where he is accountable for execution of the company. He oversees the Adversary Simulation and Detection delivery capabilities, where he helps clients to understand, detect, and respond to adversaries. May 17, 2021   00:00 – Intro  Social-Engineer.com  Social-Engineer.org  InnocentLivesFoundation.org  Human Hacking Book  Vishing as a Service (VaaS)  Phishing as a Service (PHaaS)  HumanHackingBook.com  Slack Channel  @HumanHacker on Twitter  CLUTCH  03:05 – Podcast Guest Jason Frank Intro   03:22 – Jason at BlackHat  03:30 - SpecterOps  04:34 – How Jason got to where he is  08:50 – Curiousity and motivation born from failing at a CTF  09:50 – Adversary Simulation – why is Jason using this ph

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Maxie Reynolds are joined by industry professional Jack Schafer, PhD.  Dr. Schafer is a psychologist, professor, intelligence consultant, and former FBI Special Agent. Dr. Schafer spent fifteen years conducting counter-intelligence and counterterrorism investigations, and seven years as a behavioral analyst for the FBI's National Security Division's Behavioral Analysis Program.  May 10, 2021     00:00 - Intro  Social-Engineer.com  Vishing as a Service (VaaS)  Phishing as a Service (PHaaS)  Black Hat  Slack Channel  Clutch  Innocent Lives Foundation  03:32 - Introduction to Dr. Jack Schafer, PhD.  04:54 - How Jack decided to start training people in his field after retirement  07:46 - Why is rapport building important?  11:49 - How do you stop rapport from being used against you?  13:51 - Explaining “The Truth Bias”  15:37 - Rapport works across different cultures  18:15 - The basic human need to correct other people  19:28 - Integrating the k

In this episode of the SECurity Awareness Series of the SEPodcast, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by Ashley Rose, the CEO of Living Security. Listen in as they discuss the best methods to teach cybersecurity awareness, as well as the unique advantages when using escape rooms to do so.  April 19, 2021   00:00 – Introduction  Social-Engineer.com  Slack  Clutch  03:12 – Introduction to Ashley Rose  04:31 – Ashley’s path into cybersecurity awareness  10:59 – Developing an escape room that teaches cybersecurity  15:02 – How Living Security adapted to the pandemic  22:16 – How Ashley gets the attention of potential clients  26:00 – Why “adaptive problem solving” is a vital skill  28:49 – How this training is increasing security awareness  30:47 – The industry’s unhealthy focus on compliance  34:41 – The science that went into developing the training  36:49 – How training can be individualized to increase effectiveness  41:42 – Ashley's contact info  www.livingsecu

In this episode of the Social-Engineer podcast, Chris Hadnagy and Maxie Reynolds are joined by Dr. Ida Ngambeki, an Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Technology at Purdue University. Listen in as they discuss importance of empathy and the best ways to teach social engineering.  April 12, 2021 00:00 – Intro  Join Social-Engineering on Slack Clutch  The Innocent Lives Foundation     03:25 – Introduction to Dr. Ida Ngambeki  04:20 – How Ida got into social engineering  08:45 – Teaching the next generation of social engineers  11:30 – Teaching the distinct aspects of social engineering  17:05 – The difference between a pentester and a malicious actor  19:01 – The importance of bias and assumptions  20:36 – Ida’s unconventional path to social engineering expertise  24:42 – The importance of empathy in security education  27:50 – The three aspects of empathy  30:04 – Diversity in the information security industry  34:22 – Chris getting held at gunpoint  39:50 – The p

In this episode of the SECurity Awareness Series of the SEPodcast, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by Brian Phillips who is responsible for information security at Macy’s. Listen as they discuss how to: build an information security organization, hire the right people, and get buy-in from executives.  March 15, 2021   00:09 – Intro  Social-Engineer.com  Phishing As A Service®  Vishing As A Service®  01:54 – Introduction to Brian Phillips  02:44 – Security in a retail environment and impacts from the pandemic  07:25 - How to build an information security organization from the ground up  10:14 – Changing an organization's mindset for better security  14:20 – The most desirable quality in a team member, and how to recognize it in an interview  18:21 – How to nurture an outsider into a security professional  22:48 - How to align corporate security initiatives with business goals  Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It  26:38 – The importa

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Maxie Reynolds are joined by ex-FBI Spy Catcher and now world renowned Trust and Rapport expert, Robin Dreeke. Listen in as they discuss the importance of mentoring, TRUST and relationship building. - March 8, 2021 00:09 – Intro  Social-Engineer.com  01:43 – Introduction to Robin Dreeke  03:35 – The importance of mentoring  09:37 – The levels of mentoring  11:05 – How to find a mentor  14:18 – How to choose a mentee  18:49 – Building genuine relationships and partnerships  21:11 – Teaching transparency  23:29 – Bringing value to a relationship and exercising transparency  25:45 – Try to understand the reasons behind a person’s actions  33:13 – Figure out what kind of feedback a person needs  36:20 – Making empathy a habit  38:01 – When emotionally hijacked, utilize tactical empathy  41:17 – Is it better to confront or adapt to miscommunication?  47:08 – Robin's current projects and info  PeopleFormula.com  Robin on Twitter  Robin on Faceb

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by industry professional, Julie Rinehart. Julie has spent the last 10 years building and enhancing Fortune 500 enterprise Security Awareness programs. Listen as they discuss using empathy to improve security awareness and the flaws in the “stupid user” philosophy.    00:10 – Intro  Phishing as a Service (PHaaS)  Vishing as a Service (VaaS)  Social Engineering Risk Assesment (SERA)  SEVillage: The Human Hacking Conference  Social-Engineer.com  01:56 – Introduction to Julie Rinehart  02:28 – How Julie got into the industry  06:21 – Dismantling the “stupid user” philosophy  07:53 – How to interview your employer  10:34 – The biggest milestones in Julie’s career  14:31 – How you can encourage users to report the phish they clicked on  19:22– What we can learn from “people who try to do the right thing and then mess up”  25:25 – The benefits of making security personal  28:34 – Julie's biggest challenges in the industry

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Maxie Reynolds are joined by writer, speaker, business owner, and hype artist, Michael F. Schein. Michael shares the social engineering tactics he was able to learn from cult leaders and mischief makers. Find out how these often-manipulative tactics can be used for good.  - Feb 8, 2021 00:09 – Introduction  Social-Engineer.com  01:44 – Introduction to Michael F. Schein  02:30 – How Michael figured out that we can learn from cult leaders and mischief makers  10:38 - Influence through disruption  11:44 – Make war not love  13:21 – Basecamp: Simplicity by hating complexity  16:21 – Building hype requires confidence  18:15 – Focus on what you want to be known for  26:06 – Create a secret society  30:27 – How Michael socially engineered himself onto the podcast  35:34 – The positive side of hype  37:43 – Chris, Maxie and Michael's favorite music  43:03 – Michael's most respected colleague: Michael Roderick  44:21 – Michael's book recommendations: 

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by industry professional, Marcus Sailler to discuss his experience as the red team information security manager at Capital Group. Marcus shares some great tips on creating a successful security team and how you can prevent it from becoming the "No Police". They also go over the recent changes in the industry, including how big hacks have increased security awareness in the general public.    00:09 – Introduction to the new Security Awareness Series  01:28 – Introduction to Ryan MacDougall  Phishing as a Service (PHaaS)  Vishing as a Service (VaaS)  Social-Engineer.com  02:32 – Introduction to Marcus Sailler  04:20 – How Marcus got into information security  06:08 – Recent changes in the infosec industry- How a big hack increases security awareness  12:09 – How a red team and security awareness team can collaborate to enhance security  14:25 – Introduction to Capital Group  16:17 – Coming up with relevant attacks for a global co

In this special episode, Chris Hadnagy joins Maxie Reynolds to talk about the amazing stories and useful lessons contained in Chris’s new book: “Human Hacking: Win Friends, Influence People, and Leave Them Better Off for Having Met You”. Listen as Chris delves into the process of making “Human Hacking” and shares the awesome story behind its inception. Maxie and Chris also discuss the importance of empathy especially when it comes to hacking humans.   Chris a global security expert and master hacker. He is the founder and CEO of Social-Engineer, LLC, the creator of the popular Social Engineer Podcast, website, and newsletter, and designed “Advanced Practical Social Engineering,” the first hands-on social engineering training course and certification for law enforcement, military, and private sector professionals.     00:09 – Introduction to Maxie Reynolds   02:13 – Introduction to Christopher Hadnagy’s brand-new book: “Human Hacking: Win Friends, Influence People, and Leave Them Better Off for Having

In episode 136, Chris Hadnagy and Maxie Reynolds are joined by doctor, researcher and microblogger: Osama (Sam) Qurashi. Sam was in the medical field for 15 years until he decided to travel the world and learn about unorthodox forms of psychology from experts in widely varied fields. Find out what Sam learned from these “masters of the mind” and understand how you can apply these lessons in your daily life.      00:32 – Introduction to Dr. Osama (Sam) Qurashi 02:20 – Upcoming events and book release  Human Hacking Book  Human Hacking Conference  2021 Virtual Trainings  The Innocent Lives Foundation  04:09 – How Sam went from psychiatric resident to academic globetrotter in search of “masters of the mind”  09:30 – What Sam learned from The Joke Doctor  11:30 – What Sam learned from The Tea Master  16:00 – Mistakes - The two schools of thought  18:09 – How monkeys and coconuts can help us understand acceptance  20:00 – Linguistic psychology and how emotions are conveyed in Japanese 

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Maxie Reynolds are joined by social engineering and insider threats expert: Lisa Forte. Learn how Lisa went from fighting terrorists and real-life sea pirates to being an expert on cybercrime and social engineering. Discover how scammers are taking advantage of global uncertainty and understand how to protect yourself from attack.    00:00 – Introduction to Lisa Forte  02:38 – Lisa's path to a career in social engineering  05:27 – The psychology that terrorists use to recruit teenagers  07:52 – Lisa's experience with fighting cyber crime  08:43 – Why Lisa named her cyber security company “Red Goat”  10:23 – The world pandemic made hospitals and their supply chains vulnerable to attack  14:38 – Keep secure by realizing the value of the information you possess   15:41 - How Cyber Volunteers 19 is helping to save lives by making hospitals secure. (twitter)  21:25 – Ego suspension is a required skill for a good social engineer  25:47 – Find someone who gives you honest feedba

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by distinguished professor: Elizabeth Loftus. Listen in to understand the vulnerabilities in human memories and how they are sometimes exploited. Learn to defend against attacks on your memory and how this info can be applied in the information security industry.   00:01 – Introduction to Elizabeth Loftus and her research on the malleability of human memory.  01:41 – Elizabeth's reasoning for researching human memory.   03:12 – What our faulty memory means for eyewitness testimonies.  04:20 – How the phrasing of a question can distort someone's memory.   06:27 – Is it possible to verify the accuracy of a memory?  10:34 – Trying hard to remember something can sometimes lead to the creation of a false memory.  11:22 – Elizabeth's experience with the trial of George Franklin.  14:13 – How can we protect ourselves from having our memories modified?  14:21 – The similarities between preventing false memories and preventing scams.   20:40 – “What the h