6 Psychological Elements Behind Sophisticated Cyber Attacks

"Case in point is the Robin Sage experiment, in which a security consultant created a fictional persona, Robin Sage, who was purportedly a cyber threat analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense. Robin had accounts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and those were used to create a network of professional “targets.” Most of her new connections worked for the U.S. military, government, or affiliated organizations. Despite the lack of hard evidence to corroborate Robin’s clearance, credentials, or even existence, the contacts shared information that revealed their email addresses, bank accounts, and even the location of secret military units. Robin was sent documents to review and offered speaking slots at conferences."