The overview of social engineering provided in this chapter has shown that there are very many aspects to this type of an attack. These range from mind tricks and persuasion tactics to online, software-based social engineering tools. The overview has brought out an important realization that human weaknesses can be exploited. The human brain can be hacked just as computers can. This makes it possible for social engineers to manipulate people into taking actions that they would normally not. The introduction has brought some level of awareness about the capabilities of social engineers, from mind reading to tracking movement using GPS locators. Future chapters will discuss all these in further detail. At the end of the final chapter, an avid reader will have acquired social engineering skills that will most likely be used teach you how social engineers think so you can protect against them.
The next chapter will start on the psychology of social engineering. It will discuss the mind tricks used and the techniques social engineers rely on to persuade targets. It will also take a deeper look into the modes of thinking of humans and how each can be exploited. The reader will also be taught how to interact with the target and gain information and win favors without raising alarms.