Social Engineering Blogs

An Aggregator for Blogs About Social Engineering and Related Fields

VIDEO: Defenses Against Espionage

It never ceases to amaze me how many of the cardinal rules of security and threat mitigation are relevant know matter which era or platform they are adhered to in. This video is a perfect illustration of that. It’s a video produced by the National Security Council for government contractors who worked with classified projects. It follows a fictional case wherein a company loses a key piece of classified information they produced.  Of interest to security practitioners are the human security vulnerabilities exposed. Many of the fictional characters are exploited using social engineering. While the manner in which the information is much more elaborate than what we say in modern corporate espionage, the lessons are the same.

VIDEO: Espionage Target – You (June 15, 1964)

This video is a classic from the Cold War. While some of the material is outdated, those same human security vulnerabilities still exist whether it be financial, sex, or peer pressure. The only difference between when this film was produced and now is the theater of operations has changed from being solely in an analog world to a digital, multi-spectrum world.

Here’s the synopsis from archives.org:
Exposes the worldwide operation of the Sino-Soviet espionage system and shows how Communist agents used any means to obtain vital information from military personnel. Reconstructs three actual cases to demonstrate various facets of espionage techniques. Explains how agents of different nationalities probe for vulnerable areas, such as loneliness, indebtedness, fast money, sex and the sporting life. Portrays the agent as he subtly approaches, ensnares and involves his victim until it is too late for the victim to retreat. Purpose: Information on communist espionage methods.

VIDEO: IED Mitigation Cartoon From World War 2

One of the most entertaining and unusual pieces of improvised explosive device  mitigation pieces I’ve ever watched. It hails from World War II. Warning: This video is from an era when political correctness was not a part of modern society.

From the site archive.org where I found this gem of American military history:
Private Snafu learns about the hazards of enemy booby traps the hard way.

This is one of 26 Private SNAFU (‘Situation Normal, All Fouled Up) cartoons made by the US Army Signal Corps to educate and boost the morale the troops. Originally created by Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and Phil Eastman, most of the cartoons were produced by Warner Brothers Animation Studios – employing their animators, voice actors (primarily Mel Blanc) and Carl Stalling’s music.