Be a Human nMAP! – Cultivating a ‘Renaissance & Reconnaissance Approach’ for the Social Engineer

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Presented at bsidesaugusta 2017 by

Tigran Terpandjian

As a security analyst with an atypical entry into the information security world, one of my research questions posed in social engineering is why reading a diverse array of topics is beneficial to the social engineer, be it something they are passionate about or not. In building upon last year’s presentation at DefCon24's Social Engineer Village by Tomohisa Ishikawa: “Does Cultural Differences become a barrier for social engineering?” cultural differences presented by different countries place emphasis on different genres; therefore, what one person from a certain country holds dear, the other may not. Therefore, your pretexts and elicitation's and the support required must be able to adapt. I have found this to be true. Reading like a renaissance individual (knowledgeable on a variety of topics but not ameliorates this challenge. The answer came from attending the Advanced Practical Social Engineering (APSE) bootcamp in 2016 and a self-reflection; all the reading I loved and hated as a child and as an adult has given me an extensive web to build rapport through as a social engineer. In my talk, I would like to discuss how to develop a strategy and which areas to focus on so you would be available to navigate even through the ‘darkest of waters’ and the ‘coldest of individuals’