Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Hadnagy
Hi Christopher, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always been into computers. When I was younger, I was fascinated with phone systems and was into phreaking. It was using tone generators to get free phone calls. Well, one time while in college, I wrote a program that would dial a mass amount of numbers at once and play a tone; the tone I chose, sadly, told the phone system to shut down. I shut down Sarasota County’s phone system for a day, got booted from college, and fell in love with the industry. It wasn’t until years later, when I worked as a pentester (we audit companies’ networks and think ethical hackers) that I realized I have a knack for talking people into doing things. There was no industry around social engineering at the time. There was very little info, so I worked for 9-10 months writing a framework using books on persuasion, influence, nonverbals, psychology, and things like that to write it. In 2009, I launched the framework, and it became instantly famous. I was called by the publisher of a very famous reformed hacker, and she asked me to write a book on the framework. That book came out in 2010, and it got me job offers, consulting gigs, and speeches around the globe. Since I was about to create an industry, I had to invent services and rules around them. I have had the privilege of writing 4 more books after that and getting invited to speak and train at US Government locations like the Pentagon for MI-5, MI-6, and many other amazing outfits around the globe. My company is virtual, and I have employees all over the USA. Additionally, due to my work, I have been privileged to stop some child trafficking rings, which motivated me to start The Innocent Lives Foundation, a Florida Nonprofit focused on helping law enforcement geo-locate child predators. www.innocentlivesfoundation.org.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
No, not at all. Since I was creating a new industry and new services at first, many companies didn’t see the need for them. Then, when things like phishing testing became standard, there were 1000 vendors selling solutions to do this. But many times, it is not apples to apples; it is more like apples to apple pie, and my apple pie was better but more expensive. Also, I have had bad employee experiences, such as theft, lying, and time theft. Economic ups and downs can hurt, and when the pandemic hit, I was worried some of the work could no longer be done.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am bringing science to understanding human vulnerability; I am very proud. Social engineering is not a stupid human problem; it is a human problem. Science will help us fix it. I am also very proud of my nonprofit, the Innocent Lives Foundation, we have done over 520 cases where we have helped law enforcement identify child predators or child trafficking rings. I cannot imagine a better cause to devote my time to.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check?
- The Social-Engineer Podcast: https://www.social-engineer.org/podcasts/
- Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christopher-Hadnagy/author/B004D1T9F4
- Training: https://www.social-engineer.com/training-courses/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.social-engineer.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialengineerllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialengineerllc
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SocEngineerInc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/SocialEngineerOrg
- Other: https://www.social-engineer.org/newsletter/
Image Credits
Photo; Amaya Hadnagy & Karen Bender
