About:
The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security by Kevin D. Mitnick and William L. Simon gives examples, and advice on how to defend against social engineering. Mr. Mitnick is a well-known cybercriminal who spent time as a guest of the federal government.
- 304 pages
- Publisher : Wiley
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0471237124
My rating for The Art of Deception–3
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More books by Kevin D. Mitnick*
More books by William L. Simon*
Thoughts:
I’ve heard a lot about this book on the technical forms I frequent. Since social engineering is not my specialty, however, it was always on the bottom of the list.
This is not a technology book, nor a “how to” book per se. It consists mostly of short stories (bathroom read?) and advice on how to mitigate those. The stories are quite bad, obviously fiction or fictionalized which, unfortunately, makes them less credible.
I would categorize The Art of Deception by Kevin D. Mitnick and William L. Simon as a business book, more than a technology one. By addressing the tactics of social engineering, the book gives managers and leaders a pathway on how to defend against it using end-user training and policies.
I’ve no idea of the book has been updated, the copy I read was outdated and much of it was no-longer relevant due to the speed in which technology evolves. Nevertheless, I do feel that it has some value and a somewhat fun read (the policy section is dry, of course), even though very dated at this point (and might have been dated by the time it was published, if not soon after).
The book is more a guide for organizations on how to establish proper procedures and educating personnel. It does not target the individual, but more the executive types who want ideas on protecting the organization from employees accidentally giving away damaging information.
Buy The Art of Deceptionfrom Amazon.com*
More books by Kevin D. Mitnick*
More books by William L. Simon*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I bought this book
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
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