The Social Engineering Village at DEF CON brings together experts, researchers, and practitioners to explore the human side of security. These notes capture key insights, techniques, and demonstrations from the talks and workshops.
Learn how social engineers exploit human psychology and discover defensive strategies to protect yourself and your organization.
The Real Hustle: Insights from a Professional Scam Artist
R Paul Wilson
An impromptu talk by the creator of BBC's "The Real Hustle" sharing firsthand experiences with cons, scams, and the psychology behind why people fall for them. Wilson demonstrates classic scams and explains how understanding these techniques can improve security awareness.
View Talk NotesRed Teaming from Down Under
Wayne Ronaldson
Real-world red teaming vs penetration testing from Australia's first SEC CTF competitor. Learn about long-term adversary simulation, supply chain attacks, executive profiling, and holistic organizational assessment from a seasoned professional.
View Talk NotesThe SE Podcast Live: Trust & Behavior Prediction
Robin Dreeke
10th anniversary podcast with former FBI behavioral expert discussing the evolution from rapport building to trust development to behavior prediction. Learn practical frameworks for digital trust building and ethical social engineering practices.
View Talk NotesOSINT in the Real World
Ryan MacDougall
Practical OSINT techniques for everyday life from Social-Engineer LLC's senior trainer. Learn how to apply open-source intelligence skills to vet neighbors, contractors, and build comprehensive profiles from minimal starting information.
View Talk NotesWhy Vigilantism Doesn't Work
Shane McCombs
Analysis of why vigilante predator hunting fails and how the Innocent Lives Foundation builds ethical, systematic alternatives. Learn about the psychology of vigilantism and sustainable approaches to combating child predation.
View Talk NotesLeveraging the Insider Threat
Marcus Liotta
13-year systems engineer explores human psychology in security, emerging threats, and the art of being "awesome." Learn practical social engineering tactics and prevention strategies from a technology veteran.
View Talk NotesRed Teaming Insights and Examples from Beyond
Micah Zenko
Explore red teaming as a mindset beyond cybersecurity. Learn about cognitive biases, organizational pathologies, and historical examples of institutionalized critical thinking. Discover practical techniques for personal and organizational red teaming.
View Talk NotesThe Aspies Guide to Social Engineering
Perry Carpenter
A deeply personal journey of leveraging autism spectrum traits as superpowers in social engineering and security. Learn how neurodiversity can provide unique advantages in understanding human behavior, deception, and security awareness.
View Talk NotesHacking Your Career Thru Social Engineering
Rebecca Long
Practical framework for using social engineering principles to advance careers, especially for minorities and introverts. Learn reconnaissance for job hunting, interview rapport building, networking strategies, and office politics navigation.
View Talk NotesSizing People Up
Robin Dreeke
Former FBI behavioral analysis leader shares decades of experience in trust-building and human behavior prediction. Learn the Code of Trust framework, six signs for assessing relationships, and ethical techniques for building genuine connections.
View Talk NotesSwing Away: Conquer Impostor Syndrome
Billy Boatright
Action-oriented approach to eliminating impostor syndrome through performance mindset. Learn from baseball, flair bartending, and DEF CON experiences how to embrace opportunities and overcome self-doubt in security careers.
View Talk NotesSE Village 10 Year Anniversary: A Look Back
Chris Hadnagy
Founder reflects on a decade of social engineering competitions, industry evolution, and professional ethics. Learn red team insights, practical techniques, and the future of professional social engineering.
View Talk NotesPsychic Cold Reading Techniques
Chris Kirsch
Learn how to apply psychic cold reading techniques to social engineering for better target assessment and pretext development. Discover rainbow ruses, probability manipulation, and psychological techniques used by professional fortune tellers and mentalists.
View Talk NotesThe Basics of Social Engineering
Chris Pritchard
Practical techniques for gaining access to highly secure facilities including casinos, airports, and critical national infrastructure. Learn reconnaissance methods, pretext development, physical security weaknesses, and operational mindset from an experienced security consultant.
View Talk NotesThe Voice Told Me To Do It
Daniel Isler
Exploring voice impersonation attacks that exploit brand trust and voiceover industry vulnerabilities. Learn how attackers can become trusted identities through voice manipulation and bypass security systems using low-cost, high-impact social engineering techniques.
View Talk NotesRideshare OSINT Car-Based SE For Fun and Profit
Edward Miro
Learn how rideshare driving creates unique social engineering opportunities for OSINT gathering and security testing. Discover how everyday interactions become valuable security learning experiences and how to develop foundational social skills for effective social engineering.
View Talk NotesI PWN thee I PWN thee not
Jayson E. Street
Discover what attackers love vs. hate in security implementations and learn practical security awareness strategies. Jayson shares 10+ years of DEF CON insights on social engineering, policy enforcement, and making employees your security solution rather than your liability.
View Talk NotesHacking Hollywood
Andrew Nicholson
Explore social engineering techniques used in film scouting and discover Hollywood's security vulnerabilities. Learn how film scouts gain access to restricted properties and how film sets become targets for social engineering attacks, with insights from 6+ years in television production.
View Talk Notes