About Social-Engineer
Social‐Engineer, Inc. is the premier consulting and training company specializing in the art and science of social engineering (SE). Social tactics are an established and quickly growing trend in digital security, in the forms of phishing, phone elicitation (vishing), or impersonation. Our training and expertise allow us to focus on the abilities of a hostile attacker to influence and manipulate people in order to gain physical access or access to vital information.
We assist our clients in protecting themselves and their assets through proper education and preparation. With over three decades of combined experience, Social-Engineer, Inc. has assisted organizations in government, law enforcement, and the private sector in detection and mitigation of the devastating effects of both physical and information breaches.
While some network security vendors are now starting to offer “social engineering” services, be aware that social engineering background and attack vectors are unique, based in decades of research, and distinctly separate from technical network security testing.
Meet the Social-Engineer team members
Christopher Hadnagy, is the founder and CEO of Social-Engineer, LLC. Chris possesses over 16 years experience as a practitioner and researcher in the security field. His efforts in training, education, and awareness have helped to expose social engineering as the top threat to the security of organizations today.
Chris established the world’s first social engineering penetration testing framework at www.social- engineer.org, providing an invaluable repository of information for security professionals and enthusiasts. That site grew into a dynamic web resource including a podcast and newsletter, which have become staples in the security industry and are referenced by large organizations around the world. Chris also created the first hands-on social engineering training course and certification, Advanced Practical Social Engineering, attended by law enforcement, military, and private sector professionals.
A sought-after writer and speaker, Chris has spoken and trained at events such as RSA, Black Hat, and various presentations for corporate and government clients. Chris is also the best-selling author of three books; Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking, Unmasking the Social Engineer: The Human Element of Security and Phishing Dark Waters: The Offensive and Defensive Sides of Malicious Emails.
Chris has been invited to the Pentagon to debrief 30+ general officers and government officials on social engineering and its effect on the United States.
Chris specializes in understanding how malicious attackers exploit human communication and trust to obtain access to information and resources through manipulation and deceit. His goal is to secure companies by educating them on the methods used by attackers, identifying vulnerabilities, and mitigating issues through appropriate levels of awareness and security.
Chris is a certified Expert Level graduate of Dr. Paul Ekman’s Micro Expressions courses, having made the study of non-verbal behaviors one of his specialties. In addition, he holds certifications as an Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) and an Offensive Security Wireless Professional (OSWP).
Michele Fincher is the Chief Influencing Agent of Social-Engineer, LLC, possessing over 20 years experience as a behavioral scientist, researcher, and information security professional. Her diverse background has helped solidify Social-Engineer, LLC’s place as the premier social engineering consulting firm.
As a US Air Force officer, Michele’s assignments included the USAF Academy, where she was a National Board Certified Counselor, Assistant Professor, and the Executive Officer in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. Upon separating from the Air Force, Michele went on to hold positions with a research and software development firm in support of the US Air Force Research Laboratory as well as an information security firm, conducting National Security Agency appraisals and Certification and Accreditation for federal government information systems. She also returned to the USAF Academy, once again in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, as a civilian instructor.
At Social-Engineer, LLC, Michele is a senior penetration tester and trainer with professional expertise in all facets of social engineering vectors, assessments, and research. A remarkable writer, she is also the talent behind many of the written products of Social-Engineer, LLC, including numerous reports and assessments, blog posts, and the Social-Engineer Newsletters. Michele is also the co-author of the very popular book, Phishing Dark Waters: The Offensive and Defensive Sides of Malicious Emails.
Michele is an often-requested trainer and speaker on various technical and behavioral subjects for law enforcement, the intelligence community, and the private sector in venues including the Black Hat Briefings, RSA, Techno Security, SC Congress, and the Advanced Practical Social Engineering training course.
Michele has her Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Engineering from the US Air Force Academy and her Master of Science in Counseling from Auburn University. She is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
Kazuyuki Nishi
Chief Administrative Officer
Kazuyuki Nishi is the Chief Administrative Officer of Social Engineer, LLC. He recently joined Social-Engineer, LLC. He brings with him strong technical and organizational skills as well as engineering experience from outside the security space. He brings 13+ years of experience as a senior engineer for a global company where he was involved in international projects as well as taking lead in multinational training programs.
Kaz has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology and Associates in Engineering Technology in Telecommunications Technology from the Pennsylvania State University. He is a graduate of the Advanced Practical Social Engineering class.
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