Social Engineering, Second Edition: The Science of Human Hacking

You don't even need to be interested in social engineering to benefit from (and enjoy reading) this book. In fact, about two thirds of it is devoted to building rapport, trust and influence no matter where you find yourself or what you're trying to do. The author presents the scientific principles at just the right level and then reinforces them with an abundance of anecdotes, most of which are pretty amusing. I especially liked that he includes personal stories of both successes and failures. The result is a remarkably good read that is both informative and enjoyable. If you are security professional or simply concerned about your own security, then you really should read this book. For everyone else, chapters 2-8 will likely help you improve some aspect of your social skills.

This updated edition to Christopher Hadnagy’s classic has stayed with the times. While the tools have changed, the underlying method of OSINT remains the same. Chris provides an overview of the steps every social engineer takes to extract information out of you and ultimately deceive you. He does provide some tools that you can use, but as he states, technology constantly advances so you have to be mindful that what might have worked a year ago may not work again today.My one complaint for this book is that the images are low resolution and hard to make out. They’re all in black and white, which makes it difficult to spot irregularities for his many exercises.Still, this is a great edition that managed to keep up with the pace of the internet’s changes and will keep you up to date on the world of social engineering.

It would be difficult to overstate how much I enjoyed reading this book. As you can well imagine, the book (in my opinion) is fantastically well written and seamlessly blends useful knowledge alongside actionable techniques. However, I believe anyone reading this book will also be pleasantly surprised to find the author's heart, humor, and humility so wonderfully expressed on every page. It is (again, in my opinion) a rare delight to find an author who clearly models such a healthy balance between passion and compassion in his writing and his work. Therefore, I believe that placing a copy of the book in plain view on your desk or bookshelf will serve as a dose of daily inspiration long after you've turned the final page.

The book is an easy read with great information.Most of the example images are useless because they a illegible in Black and White.Still good information though.

A friend recommended this book. He suggested that I wouldn't like the uses to which the techniques are put but that I would appreciate the methods. He was right. This book concisely presents some of the best communication techniques. I wish they weren't used to phish, vish, etc. However, put to more constructive ends, they remain useful techniques.

The marvellous Admiral Hadnagy has done it again. If you haven't had a chance to view this author's other books, search for them immediately after purchasing this book. Whether you are looking to upgrade your knowledge of social engineering, trying to get free burgers, or pick up chicks (that's a joke, but seriously it's an option) this is the book for which you've been searching. Chris promises and delivers on identifying security issues (and yes, some policies to mitigate them), non-verbal communion techniques, and the psychology behind each interaction. Grab this book while you have the chance - the author is a living legend.

If you know who the author is and have followed his work, you will know this is an excellent book on the topic.

Good luck with this stuff if you want to make some progress on the subject matter.

First of all this book is so well written and it comes with a twist of comedy (insert random knowledge tips)! The book puts you in a great position to sway anyone with the purpose of getting what you want. Additionally, it prepares you to identify various kinds of manipulation. Finally, it really makes you think about communication in a completely different way... For the better or the worse, as a result of reading this book I now end up studying every message (with no hidden meaning) as if it had 1000 meanings .. thanks, Christopher :)

This book is worth it's weight in gold. There is nothing else like it on SE that I've come across. Even if you are not interested in cyber security, this book is a fantastic read and very, very easy to understand.

As in the previous books the writer went into great depth in describing each situation. It is well done research on Social Engineering and it’s a easy read! I truly recommend this like a previous books by the writer. I’m looking forward to next book.

This is a great introduction to social engineering, or reminder for those already working in the field. The examples and real life stories help bring the points raised to life. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Interesting. To the point.