Social Engineering and the Magic Therein
Long ago, computer hacking occurred via files known as viruses. They were created by adventurous and devious computer experts (usually in their bedrooms) to test the limits of their programming knowledge.
Before the internet existed, viruses were transmitted via floppy disk. Users had to be careful about accepting disks from others, lest they be infected. Viruses were often pranks, making victims’ screens distort and displaying strange messages. They gradually become more malevolent, harming computer systems and causing loss of data.
Nowadays, hacking and scamming has become commercially lucrative. “Threat actors” exploit security flaws and the naivety of users in order to obtain personal or corporate information, which is then sold or exploited for financial gain. Identity theft and blackmail are common.
Wait! Isn’t this a Yoga Website?
Yes indeed! And yoga is quite concerned with subject of illusion and discernment. In practice and in daily life, we ask questions such as:
- Is this good pain or bad pain?
- Should I stay or walk away from this situation?
- What’s with the feeling I get when I interact with that person?
- Should I be optimistic now or would that be “toxic positivity”?
We hear many new and familiar voices in consciousness. There are so many variations of tones and attitudes in our multimedia conversations, and all of our passive listening. More than ever these days, coming from:
- The outside world by exposure to the growing population
- Inside the house and car from TV and phones and social media
- Our own minds as we shift moods, process inputs, toss and turn concepts and concerns and inspirations
It is easy to understate the impact of high density living. We explored this last year in the article Seclusion in the City. The great yogis from long ago noticed that as towns emerged from small villages, the formerly rare experience of encountering strangers became much more common. They also observed townsfolk having less frequent bouts of alone-time. Under those circumstances it became challenging to “know thyself”. Individuals’ understanding of their own inner voices, tones, and moods diminished and blended with the voices and thoughts of others.
Nowadays with such normalised disconnection, people experience loneliness in spite of crowded public spaces and vast electronic communication. It is in this context that we explore “social engineering”.
Threat Actors
Conmen (derived from the phrase “confidence men“) have existed for a long time. Those who would manipulate, influence, or deceive in order to gain control over a person, their possessions, or social influence. A threat actor is a person or organisation who intentionally causes harm in the land of telecommunications and internet. It brings to mind the characters behind ransomware attacks and stolen information sold on the dark web. Hacker activists and even comedians and internet trolls are sometimes considered threat actors.
Here we encounter a wonderful paradox, and paradox will either help us transcend and uncover higher intelligence, or it will render us confused and immobile. We love suave actors! Men and women who are skillful in their influence win the hearts of the populace. Society also values professional charmers and strategists who flex themselves in commercial and political directions. In fact, the act of manipulation (within legislated parameters) is a highly paid profession called “marketing”.
Now, with a handheld network-connected mobile device on everyone’s body most of the time, the concept of sales and marketing takes on super-powered form. The law permits algorithms to practice the art of influence in the same way that a human marketer would. But computers can do it oh so much faster, especially when they live inside your pocket, listening to conversations, recording things clicked and typed.
This atmosphere of lightning-quick dynamic data-driven exploitation of your impulses creates space for a “new” kind of threat…
Social Engineering
Social engineering is when a person uses psychological manipulation to trick others into making security mistakes – usually giving away sensitive information.
But that’s not new at all! I haven’t watched TV in a fair while, but remember those current affairs shows? They would strike fear into the hearts of householders over some elaborate scam by a door-to-door salesperson. The horror! Such evil. And just as often there were TV shows making comedy of such situations, pranks, and funny mistakes. Glad it wasn’t me! Would you be fooled in that situation?
This is paradox, once again. We love being charmed, but we’re less enthusiastic when the veil is lifted. We love laughing at jokes, but we hate being the joke. We love paying excellent marketers to promote our businesses, but we loathe those who help our rivals. When this sort of cognitive dissonance is noticed, we must rise to the occasion (concerted regular effort, abhyāsa) and see the contrary positions as both being valid (objectivity, vairāgya).
In doing so, we unite the polar points of view and resolve the dissonance. This is yoga, the union of opposites that results in expansion. If we fail to see both points of view, then we remain reactive and confused, opinionated and guarded, vulnerable to exploitation.
So we see that developing skill and responsiveness to trickery is the absolutely the domain of yoga. At various times in the history of India, yogis were seen as nefarious and devious trickers, people to beware of, lest they rob you of your money or dignity. An underclass of magicians, yogis were sometimes in possession of siddhi-s that struck fear into the minds of citizens.
What to do about all this?
Our practice is to be clear-minded so that we may clearly discern who we are and what we are hearing.
Lately, we see increasingly elegant and personal emails and text messages delivered to people in the home and workplace. These communications seem to know who you are, where you work, bank, and shop. All in an attempt to get you to “click this link” and hand over personal information to someone that should not have it.
The options are to shrink or grow, and the impetus to expand ought to be embraced. Paradoxically, mature age and financial security can hinder education. Children have no choice but to blunder ahead and learn. It can be easy to blame cognitive factors, but it may be that adults simply have greater freedom to slow their own development.
Try out the Cybersecurity Primer and earn 1 CPD point. A wise eye and a touch of healthy cynicism are vital tools in protecting ourselves online, along with a modicum of software and technical familiarity.
About the Author
Josh Pryor is CEO of Yoga Australia and a Level 3 Registered Teacher. A specialist in Mysore Style yoga, Josh’s approach is light-hearted and enthusiastic, encouraging practitioners to reimagine limitations of the physical body, translating into clear vision and heightened states of awareness.
