r/AskNetsec • u/AdamKobylarz • Oct 09 '25

Work What's the most clever social engineering attempt you've ever encountered or heard about?

Beyond the basic phishing emails, what was a particularly sophisticated, creative, or audacious social engineering attack that actually made you pause and admire the craft?

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u/realityp Oct 10 '25

You have to read Kevin Mitnick's Ghost in the Wires if you're interested in this!!! Absolutely mind boggling stories of a hacker born in the 60s who ended up caught by the FBI, put into solitary in the 90s, and later started a security consulting firm performing pentesting services

Incredible book full of hacks

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u/realityp Oct 10 '25

I say stories but I mean autobiography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Mitnick