wildercb/PrivacyTextBooks1.2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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orders isn’t effective in achieving desired behavior. Effective security thus
involves a realistic appreciation of human capabilities and a deep
understanding of how to influence human behavior.
The Gullibility Problem: Why Phishers Catch People All the Time
In an ancient Greek myth, after fighting for years outside the walled city of
Troy, Greek soldiers were still unable to infiltrate the city. So, the cunning
warrior Odysseus hatched a plan.
One day, when the Trojans awakened, they saw that the Greek army
outside their city walls had departed. The soldiers were all gone. Their tents
and weapons were gone. Their ships were gone.
The people of Troy rejoiced. After so many years of war, the Trojans
were overjoyed that the Greeks had finally given up. They noticed that on
the beach was a gigantic wooden horse on wheels. They thought that the
Greeks must have left this object behind, perhaps because it was too big to
fit onto their ships. They wheeled the massive horse into their city as a
trophy of their victory.
But it was a trick. Inside the horse were Greek soldiers, including
Odysseus. Late at night, they snuck out and opened the city gate to let the
other Greek soldiers in. Troy was defeated and destroyed. Today, malware
that masquerades as useful software is called a “Trojan horse.” The key
feature of this malware is that it works through our tendency to be easily
influenced, tricked, and manipulated.
Humans can be tricked more easily than they might like to believe.
People are prone to trust others.42 This is true even on the Internet.43 When
people are too trusting online, they become prime candidates for fraud and
manipulation, even if they have a lot of experience on the Internet.44 Roger
Ford has argued that data analytics and modern targeting platforms make it
even easier for us to be duped by data scams.45
Many people have proven to be too trusting and gullible when
interacting online. In one example, fraudsters hacked into the email account
of the CEO of Bonnier Publications, which publishes Saveur and Popular
Science. From the CEO’s email account, the hackers sent fake emails to
employees in the accounts payable department. The emails purported to be
from the CEO told the employees to wire $3 million to a bank in China.
One employee was duped by the scam. The transfer was so large that it
had to be made in two payments. The employee wired $1.5 million to the
bank. Then, four days later, he initiated a second transfer for the remaining
$1.5 million. This time, though, the employee suddenly had some
suspicions, so he called the CEO to confirm. The CEO was flabbergasted.
He had never sent an email authorizing a money transfer. The second
transfer was immediately stopped and recovered, but it was too late for the
first transfer—$1.5 million was gone.46

Figure 8.3
While many scams are obvious, such as those silly “You have won the
lottery” schemes, some phishers have become quite sophisticated. Under a
technique called “spear phishing,” savvy fraudsters use personal
information about their victims to make their emails look more legitimate.
And it works! A high percentage of people are fooled.
Some recent phishing scams have tricked people into losing their entire
life savings. In one case, a couple was tricked into wiring their down
deposit for a home into a fraudulent account. Hackers broke into the
computer system of the couple’s settlement company so they could learn
details about the home purchase. The hackers then used this information to
impersonate emails from the settlement company to the couple. This attack
is one of the fastest growing real estate cybercrimes.47
The average employee at a company is often not well-educated in how to
spot phishing scams, especially the more sophisticated ones. Neither is the
average consumer. To the hackers and phishers, the world is filled with
sitting ducks. All it takes is one mistake, one lapse of judgment, and the
consequences can be catastrophic for both businesses and consumers. The
Twitter Bitcoin hack at the beginning of this chapter shows how dangerous
our gullibility is with respect to systems that operate at scale.
In an episode of the television series Mr. Robot, Elliot (a hacker) is
trying to break into a data storage facility called Steel Mountain, where
backup tapes are located. Steel Mountain’s tagline is “Impenetrable.” But
Elliot is undaunted. “Nothing is actually impenetrable,” he says. “A place
like this says it is, and it’s close, but people still built this place, and if you
can hack the right person, all of a sudden you have a piece of powerful
malware. People always make the best exploits.” Elliot goes on to say:
“I’ve never found it hard to hack most people. If you listen to them, watch
them, their vulnerabilities are like a neon sign screwed into their heads.”48
Elliot is ultimately able to break in by targeting a low-level employee
named Bill Harper. To manipulate him, Elliot needs to learn Harper’s
background, which he can do by searching online—an example of how
privacy and security intersect. The ready availability of so much personal
data makes it easy for hackers to learn about their victims so they can more
effectively manipulate and trick them.
The Carelessness Problem: Why the Same Blunders Happen Again and
Again
Take a moment to think about your daily routine. How many tasks do you
need to undertake to meet the demands of your home, work, and social life?
How long are you able to concentrate on one thing before an email comes
in, a child or coworker asks for your attention, or you fall prey to
mindlessly scrolling social media? People have a lot going on in their lives,
which makes it difficult for them to take reasonable precautions for things
that seem like a hassle, such as securing their data. This situation is true in
many aspects of data security that demand peoples’ time and attention.
Studies show that even when people know better, they still do careless
things. They recognize a suspicious link or attachment, yet still click on it.
They know they are not supposed to write down passwords on sticky notes
and attach them to computers or devices, but they do so anyway. Why are
people so careless? And why has the law failed to incorporate our inevitable
carelessness into data security rules?
People become careless when confronted with robust security measures
that are often cumbersome and inconvenient. The more inconvenient
something is, the less people will do it. This means our data security
frameworks and rules should be concerned with managing risk and
modeling human behavior. Paradoxically, attempts to achieve perfect data
security can actually weaken security because people will find end-runs

orders isn’t effective in achieving desired behavior. Effective security thus

involves a realistic appreciation of human capabilities and a deep

understanding of how to influence human behavior.

The Gullibility Problem: Why Phishers Catch People All the Time

In an ancient Greek myth, after fighting for years outside the walled city of

Troy, Greek soldiers were still unable to infiltrate the city. So, the cunning

warrior Odysseus hatched a plan.

One day, when the Trojans awakened, they saw that the Greek army

outside their city walls had departed. The soldiers were all gone. Their tents

and weapons were gone. Their ships were gone.

The people of Troy rejoiced. After so many years of war, the Trojans

were overjoyed that the Greeks had finally given up. They noticed that on

the beach was a gigantic wooden horse on wheels. They thought that the

Greeks must have left this object behind, perhaps because it was too big to

fit onto their ships. They wheeled the massive horse into their city as a

trophy of their victory.

But it was a trick. Inside the horse were Greek soldiers, including

Odysseus. Late at night, they snuck out and opened the city gate to let the

other Greek soldiers in. Troy was defeated and destroyed. Today, malware

that masquerades as useful software is called a “Trojan horse.” The key

feature of this malware is that it works through our tendency to be easily

influenced, tricked, and manipulated.

Humans can be tricked more easily than they might like to believe.

People are prone to trust others.42 This is true even on the Internet.43 When

people are too trusting online, they become prime candidates for fraud and

manipulation, even if they have a lot of experience on the Internet.44 Roger

Ford has argued that data analytics and modern targeting platforms make it

even easier for us to be duped by data scams.45

Many people have proven to be too trusting and gullible when

interacting online. In one example, fraudsters hacked into the email account

of the CEO of Bonnier Publications, which publishes Saveur and Popular

Science. From the CEO’s email account, the hackers sent fake emails to

employees in the accounts payable department. The emails purported to be

from the CEO told the employees to wire $3 million to a bank in China.

One employee was duped by the scam. The transfer was so large that it

had to be made in two payments. The employee wired $1.5 million to the

bank. Then, four days later, he initiated a second transfer for the remaining

$1.5 million. This time, though, the employee suddenly had some

suspicions, so he called the CEO to confirm. The CEO was flabbergasted.

He had never sent an email authorizing a money transfer. The second

transfer was immediately stopped and recovered, but it was too late for the

first transfer—$1.5 million was gone.46

Figure 8.3

While many scams are obvious, such as those silly “You have won the

lottery” schemes, some phishers have become quite sophisticated. Under a

technique called “spear phishing,” savvy fraudsters use personal

information about their victims to make their emails look more legitimate.

And it works! A high percentage of people are fooled.

Some recent phishing scams have tricked people into losing their entire

life savings. In one case, a couple was tricked into wiring their down

deposit for a home into a fraudulent account. Hackers broke into the

computer system of the couple’s settlement company so they could learn

details about the home purchase. The hackers then used this information to

impersonate emails from the settlement company to the couple. This attack

is one of the fastest growing real estate cybercrimes.47

The average employee at a company is often not well-educated in how to

spot phishing scams, especially the more sophisticated ones. Neither is the

average consumer. To the hackers and phishers, the world is filled with

sitting ducks. All it takes is one mistake, one lapse of judgment, and the

consequences can be catastrophic for both businesses and consumers. The

Twitter Bitcoin hack at the beginning of this chapter shows how dangerous

our gullibility is with respect to systems that operate at scale.

In an episode of the television series Mr. Robot, Elliot (a hacker) is

trying to break into a data storage facility called Steel Mountain, where

backup tapes are located. Steel Mountain’s tagline is “Impenetrable.” But

Elliot is undaunted. “Nothing is actually impenetrable,” he says. “A place

like this says it is, and it’s close, but people still built this place, and if you

can hack the right person, all of a sudden you have a piece of powerful

malware. People always make the best exploits.” Elliot goes on to say:

“I’ve never found it hard to hack most people. If you listen to them, watch

them, their vulnerabilities are like a neon sign screwed into their heads.”48

Elliot is ultimately able to break in by targeting a low-level employee

named Bill Harper. To manipulate him, Elliot needs to learn Harper’s

background, which he can do by searching online—an example of how

privacy and security intersect. The ready availability of so much personal

data makes it easy for hackers to learn about their victims so they can more

effectively manipulate and trick them.

The Carelessness Problem: Why the Same Blunders Happen Again and

Again

Take a moment to think about your daily routine. How many tasks do you

need to undertake to meet the demands of your home, work, and social life?

How long are you able to concentrate on one thing before an email comes

in, a child or coworker asks for your attention, or you fall prey to

mindlessly scrolling social media? People have a lot going on in their lives,

which makes it difficult for them to take reasonable precautions for things

that seem like a hassle, such as securing their data. This situation is true in

many aspects of data security that demand peoples’ time and attention.

Studies show that even when people know better, they still do careless

things. They recognize a suspicious link or attachment, yet still click on it.

They know they are not supposed to write down passwords on sticky notes

and attach them to computers or devices, but they do so anyway. Why are

people so careless? And why has the law failed to incorporate our inevitable

carelessness into data security rules?

People become careless when confronted with robust security measures

that are often cumbersome and inconvenient. The more inconvenient

something is, the less people will do it. This means our data security

frameworks and rules should be concerned with managing risk and

modeling human behavior. Paradoxically, attempts to achieve perfect data

security can actually weaken security because people will find end-runs