Profiling means learning about the person or group you plan to test in a social engineering exercise. It involves gathering details about their habits, background, and behavior so you can choose the best way to approach them and begin the operation.

Key Takeaways

• The book explains communication in a straightforward way. Every exchange has: Sender, Receiver, Channel and Message.
• When you approach someone you don’t know, they’ll usually size you up with a few quick questions, which you need to be able to answer within the first 5-10 seconds of the interaction to make the target relaxed: Who is this person? Why are they talking to me? Could they be dangerous? And how long will this take?
• For a social engineer to succeed, it helps to understand the DISC model, which describes different communication styles. This way, they can adjust their approach based on the type of person they are dealing with:
  • D for Direct/Dominant
  • I for Influential
  • S for Steady/Supportive
  • C for Careful/Compliant
• Social engineering doesn’t follow a single formula. While understanding the concepts is useful, your approach should always be adapted to the situation in front of you.

Fun Fact

The FBI’s behavioral analyst James R. “Jim” Fitzgerald studied the Unabomber’s letters and bombs to understand his personality, skills, and motives. They noticed he was highly educated, disliked modern technology, and wrote in a very formal, old-fashioned style, which hinted at his background and lifestyle. This profile helped narrow the search, and when Ted Kaczynski’s brother recognized the writing style, it led to his capture in April 3, 1996.

Kaczynski’s most notable attacks are the following:

• December 11, 1985 – was Kaczynski’s first fatal attack that killed Hugh Scrutton, a computer store owner in Sacramento, California
• December 10, 1994 – the bomb killed Thomas Mosser, an advertising executive in North Caldwell, New Jersey. He was targeted by Kaczynsk because of his company’s work with corporations Kaczynski opposed.
• April 24, 1995 – Sacramento, California. The bomb killed Gilbert Murray, president of a timber industry group. The attack highlighted Kaczynski’s campaign against technology and industries he believed were harming nature.

To learn more about the Unabomber’s manifesto, visit this page.