Hacking the Human: Ian Mann

Hacking the Human: Ian Mann
Gower | ISBN: 0566087731 | 2008-11-01 | PDF (OCR) | 266 pages | 1.55 Mb

Information security is about people, yet in most organizations protection remains focused on technical countermeasures. The human element is crucial in the majority of successful attacks on systems and attackers are rarely required to find technical vulnerabilities, hacking the human is usually sufficient.Ian Mann turns the black art of social engineering into an information security risk that can be understood, measured and managed effectively. The text highlights the main sources of risk from social engineering and draws on psychological models to explain the basis for human vulnerabilities. Chapters on vulnerability mapping, developing a range of protection systems and awareness training provide a practical and authoritative guide to the risks and countermeasures that are available.There is a singular lack of useful information for security and IT professionals regarding the human vulnerabilities that social engineering attacks tend to exploit. Ian Mann provides a rich mix of examples, applied research and practical solutions that will enable you to assess the level of risk in your organization; measure the strength of your current security and enhance your training and systemic countermeasures accordingly. If you are responsible for physical or information security or the protection of your business and employees from significant risk, then "Hacking the Human" is a must-read.

Review:
As a researcher of the topic, I was glad to find Mann's book on social engineering. It makes a significant contribution to the body of knowledge on the social issues of information security. This is the second book that has been truly devoted to social engineering, the first one being Kevin Mitnick's Art of Deception. Mann takes the issue further with his methodical and systematic approach.

This book has great value, as it frequently refers to standards such as ISO 27001, providing high industry relevance. The book provides a clear view to the topic with sublime clarity, explaining underlying psychological weaknesses exploited by the attackers. Hacking the Human covers all related topics on the issue, from explaining why social engineering has not received the attention it deserves to why your company is at risk, and more importantly, what you can do about it.

As we learned from Mitnick, people are the weakest link in the chain of information security. With Mann's Hacking the Human, you can make it the strongest one, the first line of defense. I gladly recommend this book to everyone interested in the topic.


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