Social engineering: the dark side of Psychology?
When we hear the word engineering we may imagine, among other things, men with helmets and planes (for that of civil engineering), extravagant mathematical calculations or computer geniuses as we see them in movies.
However, there is another kind of engineering, one so subtle that it can even generate big changes: social engineering .
Social engineering: defining the concept
It may sound like science fiction but, in fact, social engineering exists and is used by many, from hackers even governments, and that's where one of the main meolos begins: what do we mean by the term social engineering?
The term has a long history, but we can summarize it by saying that there are basically two ways of understanding this concept. The first, taken from the field of computing, to be precise of hackers; and the second, taken from political science.
For hackers or people dedicated to computer security in general, social engineering is the act of manipulating a person through psychological techniques and social skills to meet specific goals (Sandoval, 2011) that in this area said goals are normally referred to to the obtaining and information or access to the system.
On the other hand, political science has understood social engineering as any program dedicated to influencing the attitudes, relationships and actions of society so that it adopts the vision that in question wants to implement.
The role of Psychology in social engineering
The psychology plays an important role in both both conceptions of social engineering, since it is from the use of psychological techniques that the implementation of them is possible.
Social engineering techniques
Some of the techniques are, in fact, quite simple and are based on behaviors that are innate to the human person since they have a social and evolutionary function that predisposes us to them.
For example, applied in the individual field as hackers do, Kevin Mitnick (2002), an expert on the subject, mentions at least four basic principles and psychological order that make a social engineering attack prone . These principles are:
- We all want to help: It is cultural and deeply rooted. Helping is one of the first things that children are taught, in the same way, it is a social principle in both the West and the East.
- The first movement towards the other is trustworthy: Here more than one could dissent since not always all the people generate the same confidence and many factors come into play; nevertheless, in principle it is correct since from small we learn to trust others. It is part of our evolution and nature (NatGeo, 2015).
- We avoid saying 'No': While it is true that we do not always say yes to everything, a large majority of people find it hard to say no. Everything will depend on the way in which the information is requested and the social engineers are skilled in looking for this form.
- We all like to be praised: The search for recognition exists in human nature and being praised is a good way to satisfy that need (Mankeliunas, 1996), it is not surprising that it can be used to manipulate or for others to manipulate us.
The behavioral theory and experimental psychology have given us many useful techniques for both modifying and controlling behavior (remembering that the behavioral definition of psychology includes both ends)
Applying principles of social engineering thanks to marketing
However, is it applicable at a social level? The answer is yes. Do not forget that marketing and advertising do it all the time. In fact, social engineering, as understood in political science, arises in the business world with J. C. van Marken and from there extrapolo to political science. Propaganda, language manipulation, support in voices of authority (such as politicians, scientists, academics) are just some of the means used.
Noam Chomsky mentions some manipulation techniques among which are the strategy of gradualness , use the emotional aspect in the arguments, create problems and then offer solutions, reinforce self-blame, the strategy of deferring a decision among others. Examples of its use throughout history have been totalitarian governments (Nazism, fascism, communism, for example) but the same in democracies is given and more easily.
Social experiments
As a social entity that is the human being, in principle seeks not to be different because being different is being excluded (need for membership).This psychological fact is the one that is used fundamentally to atomize a society into more controllable and at the same time more manipulable groups. Stanley Milgram, for example, demonstrated with his experiment how manipulable people are that on the part of someone with "authority" to achieve that during the experiment the participants will be instructed to increase the power in the electrical impulse they used to indicate a error to an actor they did not see but heard their screams.
On the other hand, Solomon Asch showed that the influence of others can lead people to act on their own opinion and values while Philip Zimbardo revealed how the adoption of roles changes the behavior of people. It is also known that manipulating language manipulates the perception of an X phenomenon (as it is done in cognitive-behavioral therapy). If this is repeated by the media again and again, it is easier to accept this phenomenon in the part of the masses .
These are just some examples of experiments that underlie social engineering techniques on a massive scale by institutions, non-governmental organizations, political parties and governments. Propaganda plays an important role in the development of social engineering remembering that it is with the knowledge of the human being, its tendencies, its desires, its needs, its psychic mechanisms, its automatisms, as well as the knowledge of social psychology and psychology analytic that propaganda refines its techniques (Jaques Ellul).
Now, is social engineering negative?
From my point of view, the answer would be a do not. At least not in itself. While it is true that social engineering has been used to implement an agenda that imposes a specific vision of the world (both in totalitarian and democratic systems), it is true that it can be used to solve real problems that is, it can be used for a good beyond political, economic or ideological pettiness.
If social engineering techniques can be used to end a relationship or obtain private information or impose a point of view or a new law that is contrary to popular feeling, why can not it be used to the contrary?
In this regard, the philosopher Karl Popper (1945), believed that in fact that was the right way to use it. For him, the very thing of social engineering was to solve social problems in a way analogous to how an engineer does so that there is greater production. On the other hand, difference between the social engineering of the democratic totalitarian societies. In democratic societies, the solution is consensual and gradual, thus receiving more support. On the contrary, in totalitarian societies what is wanted is to solve all evils by imposing an ideal.
In conclusion, Both psychology and other disciplines involved have much to offer and although it is true that social engineering is often considered a negative concept , it is also true that it is necessary to solve many problems both individually and at a social level, which is why training in this aspect seems important to me.
Bibliographic references:
- Anonymous. Handling techniques used by the mass media (online) 2012. Date of consultation: February 1, 2016. Available at: //ssociologos.com/2012/08/08/tecnicas-de-manipulacion-utilizadas-por-los -Massive media/
- Fierro, A. Social engineering and psychology (online) 1982. Date of consultation: February 1, 2016. Available at: //elpais.com/diario/1982/04/15/sociedad/387669601_850215.html
- Kolber, J. (Producer) (2013) Mental Games [Television Series] United States. National Geographic
- Mitnick, K. (2002) The art of deception. Mexico D. F .: John Wiley & Sons
- Pluss, D. Psychosocial manipulation (online) 2013. Date of consultation: February 1, 2016. Available at: //es.slideshare.net/dappluss/manipulacion-psicosocial-daniel-pluss
- Popper, K. (1945) The open society and its enemies. Mexico D. F .: Paidós
- [Potatool] (2015 May 23) 2.-Social engineering, we think or think. Recovered from //www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gj7bCwXsEI
- Comunicar Magazine Noam Chomsky and the ten strategies of media manipulation (line) Date of consultation: February 1, 2016. Available at: //www.revistacomunicar.com/pdf/noam-chomsky-la-manipulacion.pdf
- Rodríguez, J. [Juan Carlos Rodríguez] (2014 July 25) Introduction to social engineering. Recovered from // www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMJLK8aJMbU
- Sandoval, E. Social engineering: Corrupting the human mind (online) 2011. Date of consultation: February 1, 2016.
