Eliciting Information

What is Eliciting Information?

Eliciting information is a social engineering technique that uses conversation and psychological manipulation to extract sensitive information from individuals without their awareness. Attackers use various psychological techniques to make people reveal confidential information during seemingly innocent conversations.

How Information Elicitation Works

Psychological Techniques

• Building rapport – Establish trust and friendship
• Flattery – Compliment to lower defenses
• Authority exploitation – Use perceived authority or expertise
• Reciprocity – Offer information to receive information
• Social proof – Reference others who have shared information

Conversation Strategies

• Open-ended questions – Encourage detailed responses
• Leading questions – Guide responses in desired direction
• Assumption statements – Make assumptions to trigger corrections
• False statements – Make incorrect statements to provoke corrections
• Storytelling – Share stories to encourage similar responses

Types of Information Elicitation

Professional Information

• Organizational structure – Company hierarchy and relationships
• Project details – Current projects and initiatives
• Technology stack – Systems and infrastructure information
• Security procedures – Access controls and security measures
• Business processes – Operational procedures and workflows

Personal Information

• Credentials – Usernames, passwords, and access codes
• Personal details – Addresses, phone numbers, family information
• Financial information – Banking details and financial status
• Medical information – Health records and insurance details
• Social connections – Relationships and social networks

Detection and Prevention

Awareness Training

• Security education – Train employees on elicitation techniques
• Red flag identification – Recognize suspicious conversation patterns
• Verification procedures – Confirm information requests through proper channels
• Reporting mechanisms – Report suspicious information requests

Organizational Controls

• Information classification – Clearly classify sensitive information
• Need-to-know basis – Limit information access to necessary personnel
• Verification protocols – Require verification for information requests
• Incident reporting – Report all suspicious information requests

Technical Controls

• Access controls – Limit access to sensitive information
• Monitoring systems – Track information access and sharing
• Data loss prevention – Prevent unauthorized information disclosure
• Audit logging – Record all information access and sharing

Response and Recovery

Immediate Actions

• End conversation – Politely terminate suspicious conversations
• Document details – Record all information about the incident
• Report incident – Notify security teams immediately
• Assess damage – Determine what information was disclosed

Investigation Steps

• Interview witnesses – Gather information from involved parties
• Review communications – Examine any recorded conversations
• Impact assessment – Evaluate the scope of information disclosure
• Corrective actions – Implement measures to prevent future incidents

Best Practices

• Verify all requests – Confirm information requests through proper channels
• Classify information – Clearly mark sensitive information
• Train employees – Regular security awareness training
• Monitor conversations – Be aware of suspicious information requests
• Report incidents – Document and report all suspicious activity
• Use verification protocols – Require proper authorization for information sharing