3. Mike Murray A decade of experience in penetration testing, vulnerability research and social engineering CISO of Foreground Security (ForegroundSecurity.com) - leads penetration tests and security services engagements Lead trainer and curriculum developer at Foreground’s training division The Hacker Academy (TheHackerAcademy.com) Managing partner of Michael Murray and Associates, where he directs diverse stealth-mode security industry projects. Security blogger (Episteme.ca), podcaster, and regular speaker on social engineering, vulnerability management and the human side of security. Founder of Information Security Leaders, the leading resource on information security careers (InfoSecLeaders.com) Certified Hypnotherapist and Master NLP Practitioner 3 3
4. 4 Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einsten
5. 5 Social Engineering:The practice of obtaining confidential information by manipulating users. Source: Wikipedia
6. Human Vulnerability Humans are social creatures Human nature makes us vulnerable to each other Social engineers exploit weaknesses in human nature to obtain information or access 6
31. 14 Human / Organization Network Service / Server Client Application The Vulnerability Cycle
32. Penetration Test Success We spend a huge amount of time on the exploit Books written on XSS, XSRF and buffer overflows Very little research on how to get people to exploit themselves Nearly all of our tests rely on that ability Successful ethical hacking is successful SE Far too little SE is discussed 15
33. The Critical Faculty The hypnotist’s term for the part of the mind that acts as the rational alert system Allows the human to act on largely unconscious process Things raise to conscious awareness based on CF activation This suggests that all SE success is CF-related Avoid activating critical-faculty We want the person to execute a task that is inappropriate, yet fail to raise the CF alert to conscious awareness 16
35. Rule #1 Create a context that ensures that the behavior we want is completely appropriate. 18
36. 19 The Three Skills Critical Faculty is bypassed through three fundamental skills: Artful Communication and Use of Language Awareness of the Target Frame Control The skills are the same when online Language You must have structure your language to effect control of your target Awareness You must know how your target will interpret your communication Frame Control Your ability to control the context of your communication will be the largest component of suppressing the CF
38. Precision Information Transfer is hindered by the incompleteness of language Deletion Distortion Generalization Presupposition
39. Influence Influence is about maintaining agreement Avoiding CF activation This is about the amygdala The goal is to change representation without triggering disagreement Disagreement is the mind’s defense against inappropriate influence. This is not about rhetorical/logical disagreement Agreement allows The artful inversion of precision Use of deletion, distortion and generalization to maintain agreement Sometimes referred to as being “artfully vague”
44. Due to the mystery surrounding social engineering many people are afraid of it, or they feel they will never be able to accomplish a successful social engineering test. However, every time you try to get someone to do something that is in your interest, you are engaging in social engineering. From children trying to get a toy from their parents to adults trying to land a job or score the big promotion, all of it is a form of social engineering. Introduction tohttp://www.social-engineer.org
53. Actual Email from TD Hello Michael Murray,I appreciate your interest in viewing your TD Visa account informationusing EasyWeb. Thank you for taking the time to write.If you currently have an active EasyWeb profile but can not access your TDVisa, you may have 2 separate customer profiles set up with TD CanadaTrust. For immediate assistance with correcting this situation, Iencourage you to call EasyLine toll free at 1-866-222-3456. A BankingSpecialist can combine your profiles if necessary, provided that thepersonal information on both profiles match. Representatives are available24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are not registered for EasyLine,kindly press 2 and then 0 to speak with a representative. The combiningprocess usually takes about two days to complete, and once it is finished,you should be able to view your entire personal portfolio via EasyWeb.
58. During the run-up to the 2004 presidential election, while undergoing an fMRI bran scan, 30 men--half self-described as "strong" Republicans and half as "strong“ Democrats--were tasked with assessing statements by both George W. Bush and John Kerry in which the candidates clearly contradicted themselves. . Not surprisingly, in their assessments Republican subjects were as critical of Kerry as Democratic subjects were of Bush, yet both let their own candidate off the hook…. The neuroimaging results, however, revealed that… "We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain normally engaged during reasoning" From: http://resonancetechnologies.com/press/articles/ThePoliticalBrain.pdf
60. Back to TD Hello Michael Murray,I appreciate your interest in viewing your TD Visa account information using EasyWeb. Thank you for taking the time to write.If you currently have an activeEasyWebprofile but can not access your TD Visa, you may have 2 separate customer profiles set up with TD Canada Trust. For immediate assistance with correcting this situation, I encourage you to call EasyLine toll free at 1-866-222-3456. A Banking Specialist can combine your profiles if necessary, provided that the personal information on both profiles match. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are not registered for EasyLine, kindly press 2 and then 0 to speak with a representative. The combining process usually takes about two days to complete, and once it is finished, you should be able to view your entire personal portfolio via EasyWeb. Best regards,Debra MatsumotoInternet Correspondence Representative________________________________________TD Canada Trust 1-866-222-3456http://www.tdcanadatrust.comEmail: customer.service@td.comTDD (Telephone Device for the Deaf) 1-800-361-1180This email is directed to, and intended for the exclusive use of, the addressee indicated above. TD Canada Trust endeavours to provide accurate and up-to-date information relating to its products and services. However, please note that rates, fees and information are subject to change.
64. 43 We create relationships through trading value. Temporary inequality creates powerful bonds.
65. Reciprocity == Investment The act of exchanging value I can do something for you You can do something for me. Both acts strengthen our bond. We become more invested in the relationship The more invested a person feels, the more likely they are to be influenced by the relationship This is the Nigerian scam’s overwhelming power 44
68. Scarcity People will take almost any opportunity for their own gain Especially if the opportunity seems scarce If we have to hurry, the amygdala takes over This is a marketing tactic Infomercials Scams 47
72. So much more we could discuss…So little time.Keep an eye on:ForegroundSecurity.comEpisteme.caEmail me: mmurray@episteme.ca
Notas do Editor
The information security world exists on an incredibly short (20 year) timeframe - Even taking a *REALLY* long view, the entire Infosec industry extends only back as far as the mid-80s - AROUND 20 YEARS.Those were the daysSoftware Vulnerabilities weren’t significant - most based on configuration weaknessOnly a handful of people understood how to exploit technologiesSmall Target Surface - Few internet-connected computersFocus was on phone phreaking and academia Social Engineering reigned supremeMost successful attacks involved social engineeringUnsophisticated controls environmentsFew understood the jargonPolicies encouraged trust over security
Two Vital DatesOctober 13, 1994Mosaic Netscape 0.9 releasedThe web becomes easy to navigateAugust 24, 1995Windows 95 ReleasedHome computer use proliferates massivelyThe Internet Experiences exponential growthMoney starts to change handsInternet connected computers become a viable targetThis created a target rich environment...Phrack 49 - November 8, 1996.Aleph1 - Smashing the Stack for Fun and ProfitThe first real sophisticated vulnerabilities start to emergeA buffer overflow required knowledge of assembly and coding skillHackers now had to be more technicalReadily available exploit code actually makes breaking in to computers easierThe “golden age” of server hacking begins.1996-2003 - More of the sameMemory attacks become more sophisticatedPolymorphic shell-code designed to evade detective controlsMore advanced use of memory spaces (format strings, integer exploits) Windows XP Service Pack 2 AppearsMicrosoft finally hardens their operating systemsThe world changes overnightSecurity is now baked in to the computer.Server based vulnerabilities disappearAs massive server-based vulnerabilities disappear, client interaction becomes keyThe number of issues continues to increase, but the type of issues starts to change radicallySince 2005No major direct-exploitation worm outbreaksLess than a handful of “remote root” direct exploitation vulnerabilitiesMajor Classes of AttacksDrive-by DownloadExploitation through EmailExploitation through Social Networking SitesPhishing / Pharming / Spear-PhishingWhat’s the similarity?If you said “human interaction”, you get a gold star.
Two Vital DatesOctober 13, 1994Mosaic Netscape 0.9 releasedThe web becomes easy to navigateAugust 24, 1995Windows 95 ReleasedHome computer use proliferates massivelyThe Internet Experiences exponential growthMoney starts to change handsInternet connected computers become a viable targetThis created a target rich environment...Phrack 49 - November 8, 1996.Aleph1 - Smashing the Stack for Fun and ProfitThe first real sophisticated vulnerabilities start to emergeA buffer overflow required knowledge of assembly and coding skillHackers now had to be more technicalReadily available exploit code actually makes breaking in to computers easierThe “golden age” of server hacking begins.1996-2003 - More of the sameMemory attacks become more sophisticatedPolymorphic shell-code designed to evade detective controlsMore advanced use of memory spaces (format strings, integer exploits) Windows XP Service Pack 2 AppearsMicrosoft finally hardens their operating systemsThe world changes overnightSecurity is now baked in to the computer.Server based vulnerabilities disappearAs massive server-based vulnerabilities disappear, client interaction becomes keyThe number of issues continues to increase, but the type of issues starts to change radicallySince 2005No major direct-exploitation worm outbreaksLess than a handful of “remote root” direct exploitation vulnerabilitiesMajor Classes of AttacksDrive-by DownloadExploitation through EmailExploitation through Social Networking SitesPhishing / Pharming / Spear-PhishingWhat’s the similarity?If you said “human interaction”, you get a gold star.
Two Vital DatesOctober 13, 1994Mosaic Netscape 0.9 releasedThe web becomes easy to navigateAugust 24, 1995Windows 95 ReleasedHome computer use proliferates massivelyThe Internet Experiences exponential growthMoney starts to change handsInternet connected computers become a viable targetThis created a target rich environment...Phrack 49 - November 8, 1996.Aleph1 - Smashing the Stack for Fun and ProfitThe first real sophisticated vulnerabilities start to emergeA buffer overflow required knowledge of assembly and coding skillHackers now had to be more technicalReadily available exploit code actually makes breaking in to computers easierThe “golden age” of server hacking begins.1996-2003 - More of the sameMemory attacks become more sophisticatedPolymorphic shell-code designed to evade detective controlsMore advanced use of memory spaces (format strings, integer exploits) Windows XP Service Pack 2 AppearsMicrosoft finally hardens their operating systemsThe world changes overnightSecurity is now baked in to the computer.Server based vulnerabilities disappearAs massive server-based vulnerabilities disappear, client interaction becomes keyThe number of issues continues to increase, but the type of issues starts to change radicallySince 2005No major direct-exploitation worm outbreaksLess than a handful of “remote root” direct exploitation vulnerabilitiesMajor Classes of AttacksDrive-by DownloadExploitation through EmailExploitation through Social Networking SitesPhishing / Pharming / Spear-PhishingWhat’s the similarity?If you said “human interaction”, you get a gold star.
Watkins, EstabrooksEstabrooks: “I can hypnotize a man — without his knowledge or consent — into committing treason against the United States”
Confirmation – what lawyer would ever use that subject line?
Checks on your familyPut trust in you Requests your help