Phishing Dark Waters: The Offensive and Defensive Sides of Malicious Emails

227 Pages·2015·11.58 MB·English

by  Christopher Hadnagy

Phishing Dark Waters

PPhhiisshhiinnggg DDaarrkk WWWWaatteerrss
The Off ensive and Defensivve Sides of
Malicioous E-mails
Christopher HHadnagy
Michele Fincher
Phishing Dark Waters: The Offensive and Defensive Sides of Malicious E-mails
Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-1-118-95847-6
ISBN: 978-1-118-95849-0 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-1-118-95848-3 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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I dedicate this book to a few people who made it possible. My amazing wife,
Areesa, you are one of the most patient, kind, and wise people I have ever
met. I hold on to the dream of an eternal future.
Michele, thankfully Ping made that referral a few years ago. Without you
this is not possible.
Dave, as I write these words, I can’t believe how far we have come. Thank
you for your support.
—Christopher Hadnagy
This is for my husband, the most beautiful soul in the universe and ruler of
all my domains.
And to Chris; thank you for giving me a job and believing in me.
—Michele Fincher

About thee Authors
Christopher Hadnagy is the founder and CEO of Social-Engineer, Inc.
Chris possesses more than 16 years’ experience as a practitioner and
researcher in the security fi eld. His efforts in training, education, and
awareness have helped to expose social engineering as the top threat to
the security of organizations today.
Chris established the world’s fi rst social-engineering framework at
www.social-engineer.org, providing an invaluable repository of infor-
mation for security professionals and enthusiasts. That site grew into a
dynamic web resource, including a podcast and newsletter, which have
become staples in the security industry and are referenced by large
organizations around the world. Chris also created the fi rst hands-on
social-engineering training course and certifi cation, Advanced Practical
Social Engineering, which isattended by law enforcement, military, and
private sector professionals.
A sought-after writer and speaker, Chris has spoken and trained at
events such as RSA, Black Hat, and various presentations for corporate
and government clients. Chris is also the best-selling author of two books:
Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking (Wiley, 2010) andUnmasking
the Social Engineer: The Human Element of Security (Wiley, 2014).
Chris specializes in understanding how malicious attackers exploit
human communication and trust to obtain access to information and
resources through manipulation and deceit. His goal is to secure
companies by educating them on the methods used by attackers,
identifying vulnerabilities, and mitigating issues through appropriate
levels of awareness and security.
vii
viii About the Authors
Chris is a certifi ed Expert Level graduate of Dr. Paul Ekman’s Micro
Expressions courses, having made the study of nonverbal behaviors
one of his specialties. In addition, he holds certifi cations as an Offensive
Security Certifi ed Professional (OSCP) and an Offensive Security Wireless
Professional (OSWP).
Michele Fincherr is the Chief Infl uencing Agent of Social-Engineer, Inc. She
has more than 20 years’ experience as a behavioral scientist, researcher,
and information security professional. Michele’s diverse background
has helped solidify Social-Engineer, Inc.’s place as the premier social-
engineering consulting fi rm.
As a U.S. Air Force offi cer, Michele’s assignments included the USAF
Academy, where she was a National Board Certifi ed Counselor and
Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and
Leadership. Upon separating from the Air Force, Michele went on to
hold positions with a research and software development fi rm in support
of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, as well as with an information
security fi rm, where she conducted National Security Agency appraisals
and Certifi cation and Accreditation for federal government information
systems.
At Social-Engineer, Inc., Michele is a senior penetration tester with
professional expertise in all facets of social-engineering vectors,
assessments, and research. A remarkable writer, she is also the talent
behind many of the written products of Social-Engineer, Inc., including
numerous reports and assessments, blog posts, and the Social-Engineer
Newsletterrr.
Michele is an often-requested trainer and speaker on various technical
and behavioral subjects for law enforcement, the intelligence community,
and the private sector in venues including the Black Hat Briefi ngs, RSA,
Techno Security, and theAdvanced Practical Social Engineering training
course.
Michele has her Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Engineering
from the U.S. Air Force Academy and her Master of Science in Counseling
from Auburn University. She is a Certifi ed Information Systems Security
Professional (CISSP).