New Times,
New Thinking.

15 November 2013

Hacking is easy if you lure security contractors with fake flirting

Two hackers have shown how easy it is to get around sophisticated security systems by going for the weak point - human nature.

By Ian Steadman

There are many ways to approach breaking into a computer network at a government or corporation to grab some sensitive information. One of those is, arguably, easier than the others, and more effective, and requires little in the way of technical skills. It’s pretending to be an attractive woman and flirting with the right people.

Seduction has been used for espionage for years. In the Cold War, so-called ‘honeypots’ were a crude but effective way of trapping foreign agents in compromising situations and using as a way to blackmail them for information. The human capacity to let our genitals override our heads is never worth underestimating.

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