|
The Core Principles of the Social Engineering Discipline
There are certain principles that seem to be relevant to just about any social engineering activity.
Be Objective
Your beliefs about a problem or issue may be completely logical and still be flawed. Many beginning social engineers do not realize how little they have figured out or how little they know about a problem or issue that is important to them until they try to create adequate content for a web site or a book.
Biases are barriers to critical thinking. Refusing to consider ideas outside your belief system are barriers to critical thinking. You must value the truth over your own beliefs.
Dive Deep to Understand the Problem or Issue You’re Working On
To solve problems, first you must understand them!
Generalizing and speculating is often encouraged at debates and even in critical thinking in that it is presumed that you can reason through an social issue or problem even if you do not have in depth knowledge and firsthand experience on that social problem or issue.
Social engineering uses a much deeper and more precise methodology because of the care that must be taken to act responsibly as a discipline that can affect large numbers of people.
True, a social engineer should always check for existing viewpoints and ideas of a problem or issue being worked on. Good ideas, or at least concepts to jog your mind, can often be found in the writings of others and in discussions with others.
Typically if the problem or issue was that easy to solve it would be further along though. So, social engineers often have to dive deep into a problem or issue to uncover new insights.
To do this, social engineers often must be in an observable position where direct real world experience with the issue or problem can lead to a deeper understanding. The social engineer uses this insight as he or she applies the discipline of social engineering to improve certain outcomes.
Engage Stakeholders
Some stakeholders can be a rich source of ideas and resources. Other stakeholders might be at risk of adverse unintended consequences by a planned social engineering activity. Any plan ought to be properly vetted that might cause a change or elimination of the checks and balances of a society, or that has the potential to adversely affect anyone. Even where a change does not have any adverse consequences, forcing others to change can result in resentment and ill behavior. It is better to get all affected parties to buy into the changes or at least understand that the reasoning used was reasonable. Still other stakeholders want to be involved in or at least influence the direction and the decision making and will feel frustrated if they are not allowed to participate. The social engineering discipline addresses these realities in several effective ways:
- Pro-actively identify and engage all stakeholders so they are aware of what has been done, what is being done and what is planned.
- Keep all interested stakeholders up to date.
- Be transparent about what you have done, what you doing now and what you are planning to do.
- Develop and nurture participants. Some of them might be the future leaders of the social issue or problem you are working on. Some of them will contribute and get a lot of personal satisfaction out of being part of making something in society better. This is an added benefit to society that is of no little significance.
- Respect the minority viewpoint. When a social engineer detects a significant minority viewpoint, generally the first step will be to slow down and listen to understand their viewpoint. Is it possible to find a path where everyone’s concerns can be satisfied? Maybe not, but maybe so. Try to. Any substantial social issue or problem will have individuals with many diverse viewpoints. This freedom to pursue one’s own understandings and to develop one’s own views is a hallmark of any healthy society. There are often valid concerns in the minority viewpoint. Work to satisfy as many concerns as possible.
Master the Social Engineering Methods You Will Use
Whatever specific social engineering methods you need, learn how to use them well. Many people make the mistake of trying to do something before they have learned how. In social engineering, there would be too much potential damage or too much missed opportunity to apply methods which require expertise without having that expertise.
Use the Proper Methods
The desired outcome will only occur if you use the proper strategy. The knee jerk reactions to addressing an issue or problem such as creating new laws or throwing money at a problem may not be effective or efficient. Fortunately there are several effective social engineering strategies that can be used. Selecting and using the proper methods is part of the discipline of social engineering.
Execute Each Step of the Process Well
How well things are done may determine the extent that a social engineering effort is effective. Take time to think things through. Take time to consider options. Take time to refine the strategies you choose. Take time to stay on top of things that need attention. Take time to plan the implementation and work to make sure it is done well. Execute each step of each process well so the desired improved outcome has the best chance of being realized.
Don’t Rush or Skip Steps of the Process
It is usually better not to rush through something or do something too soon just to show progress or for other political reasons. Not being true to the proper social engineering process can be fatal to a project. Many people have put themselves and their projects in peril by setting and announcing false target deadlines and goals, then feeling a burden to conform to them. Making a deadline or goal based just on wishful thinking will usually do more harm than good. The proper practice would be to follow the proper steps in the proper sequence, giving each step the effort necessary to realize the desired outcome, even if that means staying on one step for an extended time before moving to the next step.
|
