The world?s most celebrated hacker delivers the lowdown on today?s most serious security weakness?human nature

"Finally someone is on to the real cause of data security breaches?stupid humans ? Mitnick ? reveals clever tricks of the ?social engineering? trade and shows how to fend them off."
?Stephen Manes, Forbes

"A tour de force, a series of tales of how some old-fashioned blarney and high-tech skills can pry any information from anyone. As entertainment, it?s like reading the climaxes of a dozen complex thrillers, one after the other."
?Publishers Weekly

"Mitnick provides hair-raising examples of social engineering?disgruntled employees stealing top-secret research, smooth-talking con men acquiring data on next-generation explosives for terrorists?and explains how to combat it."
?Angela Gunn, Time Out New York

"He was the FBI?s most-wanted hacker. But in his own eyes, Mitnick was simply a small-time con artist with an incredible memory [and] a knack for social engineering? This is Mitnick?s account, complete with advice for how to protect yourself from similar attacks. I believe his story."
?Simson Garfinkel, Wired

Kevin Mitnick is the founder of Defensive Thinking, an information security firm, and speaks widely on security issues. He has appeared on 60 Minutes and elsewhere in the media, and his exploits have spawned several bestselling books, including The Fugitive Game.

William Simon is the bestselling author of more than twenty books.

Foreword.

Preface.

Introduction.

Part 1: Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 1: Security's Weakest Link.

Part 2: The Art of the Attacker.

Chapter 2: When Innocuous Information Isn't.

Chapter 3: The Direct Attack: Just Asking for It.

Chapter 4: Building Trust.

Chapter 5: "Let Me Help You".

Chapter 6: "Can You Help Me?".

Chapter 7: Phony Sites and Dangerous Attachments.

Chapter 8: Using Sympathy, Guilt, and Intimidation.

Chapter 9: The Reverse Sting.

Part 3: Intruder Alert.

Chapter 10: Entering the Premises.

Chapter 11: Combining Technology and Social Engineering.

Chapter 12: Attacks on the Entry-Level Employee.

Chapter 13: Clever Cons.

Chapter 14: Industrial Espionage.

Part 4: Raising the Bar.

Chapter 15: Information Security Awareness and Training.

Chapter 16: Recommended Corporate Information Security Policies.

Security at a Glance.

Sources.

Acknowledgments.

Index.