Social engineering: the dark side of psychology?

Social engineering encompasses a series of manipulation and propaganda techniques.

When we hear the word engineering we may imagine, among other things, men with helmets and blueprints (for civil engineering), fancy mathematical calculations or computer geniuses as we see them in the movies.

However, there is another kind of engineering, one so subtle that it can even bring about major changes: social engineering. social engineering.

Social engineering: defining the concept

It may sound like science fiction but, in fact, social engineering does exist and is used by many, from hackers and this is where one of the main problems 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 computer science, to be precise from 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), which in this field usually refer to obtaining 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 in such a way that it adopts the vision society so that it adopts the vision that is to be implemented.

The role of psychology in social engineering

The psychology plays an important role in both conceptions of social engineering, since it is through the use of psychological techniques that the implementation of these techniques is made possible.

Social engineering techniques

Some of the techniques are, in fact, quite simple and are based on behaviors that are connatural to the human person since they have a social and evolutionary function that predisposes us to them.

For example, applied at the individual level as hackers do, Kevin Mitnick (2002), an expert on the subject, mentions at least four basic and psychological principles that make a social engineering attack prone to happen. These principles are:

• We all want to helpIt is cultural and deeply rooted. Helping is one of the first things children are taught, and it is a social principle in both the West and the East.

• The first movement towards the other is one of trustHere more than one could disagree since not all people always generate the same trust and many factors come into play; however, in principle it is correct since we learn to trust others from an early age. 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 difficult to say no. It will all depend on the form in which the information is asked for and social engineers are adept at finding such a form.

• We all like to be praisedThe search for recognition exists in human nature and being praised is a good way to satisfy this need (Mankeliunas, 1996), it is not surprising that it can be used to manipulate or to be manipulated by others.

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 purposes).

Applying social engineering principles through marketing.

However, is it applicable at the societal level? The answer is yes. We should not forget that marketing and advertising do it all the time. In fact, social engineering -as understood in political science- arose in the business field with J. C. van Marken and from there it was extrapolated to political science. Propaganda, manipulation of language, reliance on voices of authority (such as politicians, scientists, academics) are just some of the means used.

Noam Chomsky mentions some techniques of manipulation among which are the strategy of gradualismThe use of the emotional aspect in arguments, creating problems and then offering solutions, reinforcing self-blame, the strategy of deferring a decision, among others. Examples of its use throughout history have been in totalitarian governments (Nazism, Fascism, Communism, for example), but in democracies as well, and with greater ease.

Social experiments

As a social entity, the human being, in principle, seeks not to be different because to be different is to be excluded (need for affiliation). This psychological fact is the one that is used fundamentally to atomize a society in more controllable and in turn more manipulable groups. Stanley Milgram, for example, demonstrated with his experiment how people can be manipulated by someone with "authority" by having the participants during the experiment be ordered to increase the power of the electrical impulse they used to indicate an error to an actor whose screams they could not see but heard.

On the other hand, Solomon Asch demonstrated that the influence of others can lead people to act over their own opinion and values while Philip Zimbardo revealed how role-taking changes people's behavior. It is also known that manipulating language manipulates one's perception of a phenomenon X (as is done in cognitive-behavioral therapy). If this is repeated over and over again by the media, the acceptance of such a phenomenon by the masses becomes easier..

These are just a few examples of experiments that support 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 human beings, their tendencies, their desires, their needs, their psychic mechanisms, their automatisms, as well as the knowledge of social psychology and analytical psychology that propaganda refines its techniques (Jaques Ellul).

Now, is social engineering negative?

From my point of view, the answer would be a no. 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 (in both totalitarian and democratic systems), it is also true that it can be used to solve real problems. it is also true that it can be used to solve real problems.In other words, 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 previously contrary to popular sentiment, why couldn't it be used for the opposite?

In this regard, the philosopher Karl Popper (1945), believed that this was in fact the right way to use it. For him, the purpose of social engineering was to solve social problems in a way analogous to what an engineer does to increase production. On the other hand, he differentiates between the social engineering of democratic and totalitarian societies. In democratic societies, the solution is consensual and gradual, thus receiving more support. On the contrary, in totalitarian societies the aim is to solve all evils by imposing an ideal.

In conclusion, psychology as well as other disciplines involved have a lot to offer and although it is true that social engineering is usually considered a negative concept, it is also true that it is necessary to solve many problems both at individual and social level.It is also true that it is necessary to solve many problems at both the individual and social level, which is why training in this aspect seems important to me.

Bibliographic references:

• Anonymous. Manipulation techniques used by the mass media (online) 2012. Accessed on: February 1, 2016. Available at: http://ssociologos.com/2012/08/08/tecnicas-de-manipulacion-utilizadas-por-los-medios-masivos/
• Fierro, A. Social engineering and psychology (online) 1982. Accessed on: February 1, 2016. Disponible en: http://elpais.com/diario/1982/04/15/sociedad/387669601_850215.html
• Kolber, J. (Producer) (2013) Mind 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. Accessed February 1, 2016. Available at: http://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 we are thought. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gj7bCwXsEI
• Comunicar magazine. Noam Chomsky and the ten strategies of media manipulation (online) Accessed on: 1 February 2016. Available at: http://www.revistacomunicar.com/pdf/noam-chomsky-la-manipulacion.pdf
• Rodríguez, J. [Juan Carlos Rodríguez] (2014 July 25) Introduction to social engineering. Retrieved from https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMJLK8aJMbU
• Sandoval, E. Social engineering: corrupting the human mind (online) 2011. Accessed on: February 1, 2016.