Social engineering is a common tactic used in criminal literature to obtain sensitive information from security guards or other relevant personnel by manipulating psychology, building trust, or exploiting human weaknesses. Here are some common social engineering tactics and how they are used in criminal literature: ### 1. Pretexting Description: The criminal creates a believable fake identity or story to gain the trust of the target. Application examples: - Impersonation of an executive or technical support staff: The character may pretend to be a senior executive of the company and ask the security guard to provide access rights or sensitive data. - Impersonation of a customer or supplier: The security guard is tricked into revealing internal information by pretending to be a representative of an important customer. ### 2. Phishing Description: The target is tricked into revealing sensitive information through email, phone, or face-to-face communication. Application examples: - Fake notification: The character sends an official-looking notification asking the security guard to update their login credentials to gain access to the system. - Emergency setting: Pretend that there is an emergency that requires immediate access to certain data, forcing the security guard to ignore normal security procedures. ### 3. **Exploitation of Trust** **Description:** Exploiting the personal relationship or trust established with the security guard to obtain information. **Application Examples:** - **Establishing Friendships:** The character establishes a friendly relationship with the security guard and obtains internal company information through long-term interaction. - **Providing Inducements:** Providing small gifts or benefits to induce the security guard to disclose sensitive data. ### 4. **Tailgating** **Description:** Physically following legitimate personnel into restricted areas to bypass physical security measures. **Application Examples:** - **Pretending to be a visitor:** The character carries a fake identity document and claims to have an emergency to enter the restricted area, thereby circumventing strict access control. - **Using Excuses:** Successfully following into a secure area under the pretext of forgetting the ID card, express delivery package, etc. ### 5. **Information Collection and Research** **Description:** Before conducting a social engineering attack, detailed research is conducted on the background information of the target person and organization. **Application Examples:** - **Exploiting public information:** The character collects the personal information of the security guard through the Internet, social media and other channels to manipulate more effectively. - **Exploiting internal documents:** Obtain the company's organizational chart, internal policies, etc. to find weak links. ### 6. **Intimidation and Pressure** **Description:** Through threats or pressure, the security guard succumbs to information leakage. **Application Examples:** - **Pretending to be a law enforcement officer:** The character pretends to be a representative of the government or law enforcement agency and threatens the security guard with legal consequences if he does not cooperate. - **Creating tension:** By creating an emergency or crisis situation, the security guard is forced to disclose information under pressure. ### Example Analysis in Literature In many classic crime novels, the application of social engineering provides a key turning point in the development of the plot. For example: - **The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown):** The protagonist Robert Langdon demonstrates a deep understanding of human nature and psychology by analyzing and decoding hidden information, which to some extent reflects the core idea of social engineering. - **Inception (novel and film):** Although it mainly involves the manipulation of dreams and the subconscious, the characters in it demonstrate the application of advanced social engineering techniques by building trust and manipulating the psychology of others. ### Summary In crime literature, social engineering is not only an important means to promote the development of the plot, but also a profound exploration of the complexity of human psychology and behavior. By cleverly demonstrating these techniques, writers are able to create exciting stories while revealing the importance and vulnerability of information security. This not only enhances the realism of the story, but also triggers readers to think about information protection and psychological manipulation in reality.