Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking

5.5. Building Instant Rapport

My former coworker, Tony, used to say that building rapport was more important than breathing. I don't really believe that to be true, but it does have a ring of truth in that rapport building is vital.

Wikipedia defines rapport as, "One of the most important features or characteristics of unconscious human interaction. It is commonality of perspective: being 'in sync' with, or being 'on the same wavelength' as the person with whom you are talking."

Why is rapport discussed in this chapter? It is a key element in developing a relationship with any person. Without rapport you are at an impasse. Within the psychological principles behind social engineering, rapport is one of the pillars.

Before getting into the aspects of how to use rapport as a social engineer you must know how to build rapport. Building rapport is an important tool in a social engineer's arsenal.

Imagine that you could make people you meet want to talk to you, want to tell you their life story, and want to confide in you. Have you ever met someone like that, someone you met recently but feel totally at ease telling him or her very personal things? Many psychological reasons may play into why that may be the case, but the case may be that you and that person just had good rapport.

The following sections outline important points about building rapport and how to use rapport in social engineering.

5.5.1. Be Genuine about Wanting to Get to Know People

How important are people to you? ...