Here you play the role of a new user. Let's say you're trying to get into a company's com-puter system. The time is 8:55 in the morning. You call up the computer department (from your home or wherever) and this is the conver-sation that follows:
PERSON ON OTHER END: "Hello; Jack Chipper, Computing Department. "
YOU: 'Hello, Jack, this is Gary Harris from the Researching Department. Maybe you could help me with a problem?'
JACK: 'Maybe... What is it?"
YOU: "Well I'm the first one here, and I can't seem to get things started up. Will you talk me through it?"
JACK: 'Sure. You by your computer?"
YOU: 'Yes."
JACK: 'Okay. Turn on the red switch on the floor. You see it there?'
YOU: 'Yes, okay. I see it... Okay.
JACK: 'It'll take a few minutes for everything to boot up.'
YOU: "To what?"
JACK: 'Uh, boot up. I mean, it'll take a minute or two for the computer to set itself, to get ready to use.
YOU: "Okay, it stopped.
JACK: 'What do you see?
YOU: "Just what you always see. It worked up to here fine before, but after this, it didn't work. What do I do when it doesn't work here?
JACK: "What do you usually type?"
YOU: 'I don't know. This is my first day here. I'm just a temp - they said someone would tell me!
JACK: 'Okay, press Enter.
YOU: "Enter... Okay.
JACK: 'Now type 'TEMP'spacebar 'PUPPY."'
YOU: "Okay... Oh!"
JACK: "See?
YOU: "Thank you, lack - I don't know what went wrong before!'
Now I want to run through this conversation again, this time pointing out some of the essential components of all successful social engi-neers.
PERSON ON OTHER END: "Hello; lack Chipper, Computing Department. " YOU: "Hello, lack, this is Gary Harris from the Researching Department. Notice here, how you begin your conversa-tion by mimicking the technician's words, intro-ducing yourself in a way similar to the way the technician introduced him or
herself. This is done to make the person on the other end feel more comfortable talking to you, and to show that you're not afraid to reveal who you are or what business you do for the company. If Jack had said he was from the Computer Room, then you would say you were from the Research Room. Unless you have a company di-rectory as reference, you won't know the exact names insiders use for each of the various seg-ments of the corporation. Thus, it's usually a safe bet to talk like the insider in this case, the technician. Even if you say "department" when you should have said "committee" or "room," the fact that the technician used that term will make you sound, in his ears, like an employee.
YOU: "Maybe you could help me with a problem?
This appeals to the technician's sense of computer godliness. Also piques his curiosity as to what could be wrong with his system, or your use of his system. Saying "maybe" will get the technician somewhat flustered - you should know better than to question his ability to han-dle computers. He will then go overboard to show you how smart he is. Knowledgeable users love to show off their computing skills (I know I do, don't you?), especially technicians whose job it is to help the multitude of non-experts get through the day.
Also, notice the mention of the word problem." Computer people love solving problems. Mention in a vague way that there's a problem with his system, and he'll go crazy: just open your ears and let the passwords roll right in! YOU: "Well I'm thefirst one here...
Notice at the beginning I mentioned that the time was 8:55 in the morning. It won't always be possible to call before the workday begins, but it sure does help if you can. Doing so gives you a valid excuse to call a technician for help; after all, if you're the first one there, there's nobody else to ask. But technicians won't always be available before anyone else at the office, so this won't always work.
Consequently, you may want to try making a phone call at the end of the workday. Then you'll be able to say that the other people in the office shut off the computers and went home be-fore you had a chance to finish your work. YOU: "...and I can't seem to get things started up.
Will you talk me through it?
Now that he knows he's the superhero, you immediately identify the problem, while still being vague enough to not alert suspicion if your assumptions about the login procedures are wrong. After all, dialing into the company's computer system from your house could look very different from actually being there, using it in person.
You're better off staying with general questions, and allowing the technician to men-tally picture the specifics of your trouble. The will you talk me through it?" request begs him to do something he does by rote every day.
Again, it is important to request that he do something specific (such as talk you through the setup procedures) but not so specific that you blow your cover by making yourself seem suspiciously knowledgeable. For example, if you had simply said, "Can you help me?" he might want to walk over to your office to help you out.
Since you are not actually in an office, this will definitely tip him off to your deceit. JACK: "Okay. Turn on the red switch on the floor. You see it there?"
YOU: "Yes, okay. I see it... Okay."
You have to pretend to be doing what the technician asks you to do, because remember you're not actually in the office, and perhaps the reason you are social engineering is because you don't even have a dial-in number. It's good to have an actual computer next to you, so he or she can hear the power being turned on and you clicking away at the keyboard.
JACK: "It'll take a few minutes for everything to boot up.
YOU: 'To what?"
JACK: "Uh, boot up. I mean, it'll take a minute or twofor the computer to set itself, to get ready to use."
YOU: "Okay, it stopped.
"To what?" shows your complete helplessness when it comes to computers. You don't want to pretend you've been living in a cave the last three decades, however. Saying, "What's a keyboard?" will only provoke utter disbelief, not sympathy for your naivet6.
Don't forget that the conversation has a plan to it - you're trying to steer the conversation to your benefit, so make sure you stay in control of where it's heading. "Okay, it stopped," reassures the technician that the computer is working fine, and that his or her ability to give instructions over the phone has not faltered. But
above all, it keeps you on track so the conversation can con-tinue toward its ultimate reward.
JACK: 'What do you see?'
YOU: "Just what you always see. It worked up to herefine before, but after this, it didn't work. What do I do when it doesn't work here?'
JACK: "What do you usually type?"
YOU: 'I don't know. This is my first day here. I'm just a temp - they said someone would tell me!"
Boy! This guy isn't letting up! You can either try for another generic answer ("Usually I type my password here..."), but what if you guess wrong? What if at this point an office worker is placed at the DOS prompt or Macintosh Desk-top? You see, it could be that dial-in lines are password protected while in-house computers are not. In-house computers might be protected by trust, physical keys, or biometric devices.
In this instance, you've used the "new per-son" ploy. It's usually a good bet to pretend you're a new person, unless it's widely known that the company is actively firing employees, or is ready to go bankrupt. Saying you're from a temporary agency may or may not be a good idea. Temps will generally have a site contact or
local supervisor to whom they report and ask questions. The technician might not know that, however, and in any case you can always say that your supervisor is in a meeting and told you to call the computer department for advice.
JACK: 'Okay, press Enter.'
YOU: 'Enter... Okay.'
JACK: "Now type 'TEMP'spacebar 'PUPPY.
YOU: "Okay... Oh!"
JACK: "See?"
YOU: "Thank you, lack - I don't know what went wrong before!
The "Okay..." is said as if you've tried this same thing a million times, but it's never worked. Thank the technician profusely for his help, and reassure him that you are a genuinely naive but responsible member of the company (in this case, by saying you don't understand what went wrong before).
I based this sample script on hundreds of real-life conversations that technicians have with legitimate users who have the similar problems. I can recall dozens of times when I personally have been asked how to do some-thing that the user has' already done before, without getting it to work. Usually all it takes is a run-through and everything works fine. My experience has been that these calls usually end with the person who has been helped grouchily saying, "But I tried that before! It didn't work be-fore!" So make sure that you are nice to your technician - you may be needing help from him or her again and it will certainly boost his or her ego to know you appreciate the help you have received.
Here's another example of how a hacker can pretend to be helpless when it comes to comput-ers, but still make off with vital information. When a new computer system has been installed in an office, there will often be business cards or phone numbers taped near the terminals which are used to contact someone from the
technical department of the company which supplied the computers, to deal with bugs that haven't yet been worked out.
The business cards (or you may just find a phone number on a slip of paper) may also be taped to a section of wall devoted to important messages, or they may also be hidden someplace behind a clerk's desk or counter. Crane your neck if you must to get the name and number off the card (or simply ask the person, we don't al-ways have to do everything on the sly!).
Let's say you managed to get Frank Smith's number at Corny Computing while you were doing some business at a branch of an insurance company. Call the number and say, "Hi, this is Lauren from Booboo, Insurance. There was some weird stuff going on with the computers and I had to shut them off, and now I'm stuck...... And let them lead the way.
One time I saw such a business card taped to a public access terminal at a library. I copied off the information, then called up, saying, "This is Jack [a guy named Jack really worked at the li-brary] from Whoopie Library. I'm having trouble getting into the circulation system from public access mode. The computer's behind the counter, so I don't know what it was doing in PA mode to begin with, but..."
