Social Engineering & Human Hacking: Advanced Psychological Techniques

Social Engineering & Human Hacking: Advanced Psychological Techniques for Security Professionals

1. From Phishing Campaigns to Physical Infiltration — A CEH Professional’s Complete Guide
2. About the Author
3. Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Engineering

1. 1.1 Defining Social Engineering
2. 1.2 Why Humans Are the Weakest Link
3. 1.3 Historical Examples
4. 1.4 CEH Relevance
5. 1.5 Ethical and Legal Boundaries

Chapter 2: Psychology of Influence

1. 2.1 Why Psychology Matters to Security Professionals
2. 2.2 Cialdini’s Six Principles of Influence
3. 2.3 Cognitive Biases Exploited by Attackers
4. 2.4 Fear, Urgency, and the Bypass of Rational Thinking
5. 2.5 The Role of Pretexting

Chapter 3: OSINT for Social Engineering

1. 3.1 The Intelligence Foundation
2. 3.2 Target Profiling Using LinkedIn
3. 3.3 Facebook and Other Social Platforms
4. 3.4 OSINT Tools
5. 3.5 Building a Target Dossier
6. 3.6 Identifying Organizational Hierarchy and Key Contacts

Chapter 4: Phishing Campaigns

1. 4.1 Phishing Overview
2. 4.2 GoPhish: Setup and Configuration
3. 4.3 Sending Profiles Configuration
4. 4.4 Crafting Convincing Phishing Emails
5. 4.5 Spam Filter Bypass Techniques
6. 4.6 Tracking Opens and Clicks
7. 4.7 Spear Phishing vs. Mass Phishing

Chapter 5: Advanced Email Attacks

1. 5.1 Spear Phishing and Whaling
2. 5.2 Business Email Compromise (BEC)
3. 5.3 Email Spoofing Techniques
4. 5.4 DKIM/SPF/DMARC Bypasses
5. 5.5 Pretexting Scenarios for Email

Chapter 6: Vishing (Voice Phishing)

1. 6.1 Vishing Fundamentals
2. 6.2 Caller ID Spoofing
3. 6.3 Call Scripts for Different Pretexts
4. 6.4 Extracting Information via Phone
5. 6.5 Handling Objections
6. 6.6 Recording and Documenting Calls

Chapter 7: Smishing & Other Vectors

1. 7.1 Smishing (SMS Phishing)
2. 7.2 QR Code Attacks (Quishing)
3. 7.3 USB Drop Attacks
4. 7.4 Watering Hole Attacks
5. 7.5 Evil Twin WiFi Attacks

Chapter 8: Physical Security Testing

1. 8.1 Physical Security Assessment Overview
2. 8.2 Pretexting for Physical Access
3. 8.3 Tailgating and Piggybacking
4. 8.4 Badge Cloning with Proxmark3
5. 8.5 Lock Picking Basics
6. 8.6 Dumpster Diving for Information
7. 8.7 Building Security Assessment Methodology

Chapter 9: Red Team Campaign Planning

1. 9.1 Social Engineering in the Red Team Context
2. 9.2 Rules of Engagement
3. 9.3 Scope Definition
4. 9.4 Documenting a Realistic Adversary Simulation
5. 9.5 Integrating with Technical Red Team Operations

Chapter 10: Defense — Security Awareness Training

1. 10.1 Why Most Security Awareness Training Fails
2. 10.2 What Makes Security Awareness Programs Effective
3. 10.3 Phishing Simulation Programs
4. 10.4 Measuring Awareness
5. 10.5 Creating a Security Culture
6. 10.6 NIST 800-50 Guidance

Chapter 11: Reporting Social Engineering Engagements

1. 11.1 Documentation During the Engagement
2. 11.2 Evidence Capture
3. 11.3 Metrics and Findings
4. 11.4 Communicating Risk to Leadership
5. 11.5 Detailed Technical Findings

Chapter 12: Legal and Ethical Considerations

1. 12.1 The Authorization Framework
2. 12.2 Relevant Legal Framework
3. 12.3 When Tests Go Wrong
4. 12.4 Protecting Client Data
5. 12.5 Real-World Case Studies of Social Engineering Gone Wrong
6. Appendix A: Social Engineering Toolkit Reference
7. Appendix B: Sample Engagement Checklist
8. Appendix C: Recommended Reading and References

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