Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking

1.3. Summary

Like any book, the knowledge contained herein is only useful if it you put it into practice. The more you practice the more you will succeed at mastering these skills.

Previously, I discussed how social engineering is like mastering the art of cooking. By mixing the right ingredients in the right quantity you can have a meal that is full of flavor and excitement. The first time you try to cook a meal it might have too much salt or it might lack flavor altogether, but you don't immediately throw in the towel—you keep trying until you get it right. The same goes for social engineering. Some of the necessary skills may come more naturally to you and others may be more difficult.

If a particular topic is hard to understand or difficult for you to grasp, do not give up, and do not assume you cannot learn it. Anyone can learn and use these skills with the right amount of effort and work.

Also keep in mind that, just like a real recipe, many "ingredients" go into a good social engineering gig. The first ingredient might make more sense after you get down the line a little more. Certain skills—such as "the human buffer overflow" covered in Chapter 5—will only make sense after you master some of the other skills discussed in this book.

Regardless, keep practicing and make sure to do extra research on topics for which you need clarity. Now let's start cooking. Your "recipe" starts in the next chapter with the first ingredient, information gathering.