Human Hacking: Win Friends, Influence People, and Leave Them Better Off for Having Met You

A global security expert draws on psychological insights to help you master the art of social engineering—human hacking. Make friends, influence people, and leave them feeling better for having met you by being more empathetic, generous, and kind.

Eroding social conventions, technology, and rapid economic change are making human beings more stressed and socially awkward and isolated than ever. We live in our own bubbles, reluctant to connect, and feeling increasingly powerless, insecure, and apprehensive when communicating with others.

A pioneer in the field of social engineering and a master hacker, Christopher Hadnagy specializes in understanding how malicious attackers exploit principles of human communication to access information and resources through manipulation and deceit. Now, he shows you how to use social engineering as a force for good—to help you regain your confidence and control. Human Hacking provides tools that will help you establish rapport with strangers, use body language and verbal cues to your advantage, steer conversations and influence other’s decisions, and protect yourself from manipulators. Ultimately, you’ll become far more self-aware about how you’re presenting yourself—and able to use it to improve your life. 

Hadnagy includes lessons and interactive “missions”—exercises spread throughout the book to help you learn the skills, practice them, and master them. With Human Hacking, you’ll soon be winning friends, influencing people, and achieving your goals.

Christopher Hadnagy is a global security expert and master hacker. He is the founder and CEO of Social-Engineer, LLC, the creator of the popular Social Engineer Podcast, website, and newsletter, and designed “Advanced Practical Social Engineering,” the first hands-on social engineering training course and certification for law enforcement, military, and private sector professionals. He is also the first (adjunct) professor of social engineering for the University of Arizona, one of the NSA-designated Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations. Hadnagy is the creator of the Human Hacking Conference, an annual conference focused on training people who to hack themselves to achieve their goals. A highly sought-after writer and speaker, he has spoken at events such as RSA and Black Hat and given numerous presentations for corporate, government, and military clients. He is the bestselling author of four technical books for security professionals: Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking; Unmasking the Social Engineer: The Human Element of Security; Phishing Dark Waters: The Offensive and Defensive Sides of Malicious Emails; and Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking, which is now in its second edition. He is also the founder, executive director, and board member of the Innocent Lives Foundation, a nonprofit that fights the sexual abuse of children.

Seth Schulman wields the power of the written word to start conversations, change minds, and transform lives. A master storyteller and intellectual collaborator, he has contributed to dozens of books over the past two decades in the genres of business, personal growth, memoir, health, and public affairs, including multiple bestsellers. Mr. Schulman holds a PhD in intellectual and cultural history from Brown University. For more information, please visit his website, www.providenceword.com.