Social Engineering Blogs

An Aggregator for Blogs About Social Engineering and Related Fields

Detecting the Truth!

There are many products and people out there claiming to have all the answers to deception detection.  However, not all of these are based on actual scientific research or might be based on antique scientific techniques that are outdated and now being proven inaccurate.

So how can someone actually tell if a person is lying?

According to the experts such as Dr. Matsumoto and Dr. Mark Frank, there is no one tell tale sign of deception.  Average men and woman (without training) are only able spot deception about 50% of the time.  Yep that’s right, their odds of detecting deception is no better than chance.

An interesting article in The Morning Post Exchange, depicts Pamela Meyer, a social media expert with an MBA from Harvard and a Masters in Public Policy, stating that we are lied to between 10 to 200 times a day.

In the article, Meyer goes on to delineate the pandemic of deception she believes we are facing today.  Throughout the accompanied video she “arms people with tools that can help take back the truth”.  Much of what she says is backed by scientific research on nonverbal communication, body language and the seven universal facial expression of emotion.

Scientific American also chimes in on the debate of body language and communication.  The article comments on mis-communication due to our advances in technology.  With the popularity of texting and emailing (especially since the invention of smartphones, which makes access to the internet readily available)  communication has lost some important social aspects necessary for understanding.   The succinct article suggests that communication is a two-way street and hand gestures as well as vocal inflection and microexpressions play a significant role in how we are interpreted (i.e. understood) and how we interpret others.

As our technology advances exponentially, we are able to realize the benefits and limitations of the devices we use today to detect deception.

One example is the polygraph machine, which was invented in the early 20th century which is still being used today. The reliability of the polygraph is debatable and it is not admissible in a court of law, but law enforcement agencies use polygraph machines all the time.  So what are the benefits and limitations of such a device? We previously blogged about the polygraph conundrum and its pros and cons.

Take a look at the video below from Michael Shermer (which we originally viewed on Eric Goulard’s blog), which poses a potential answer to the question:  Can the polygraph machine really scientifically measure if someone is lying?

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Future of Finance

Technology, technology, technology, everywhere you turn you are inundated with the advancements of our ever growing world.

According to CreditCards.com the future of banking has arrived.  Just like with the advancements on the iPhone and computers, ATM’s have launched into the technology race.  We now have 3D touchless ATM’s.  The idea was created by Brazilian Itartec and was first revealed in Sao Paulo, Brazil this past summer.

The new ATM accustomed with 3D technology and a completely touch-free interface allows the user to navigate with the swipe of the hand.  It also comes equipped with Face Tracking, which could virtually eliminate card/cash jacking.  A camera in the ATM will focus in on your facial features to identify you.  This type of technology is already in place as a security measure in a variety of industries and could eliminate the global need for ATM cards.

Other security ideas being developed for the ATM of the future is a “pillar” type design that uses your fingerprint to read  the biometrics under your skin and detect your body’s personal chemistry to identify you.  The “pillar” ATM is being designed more for underdeveloped, illiterate countries and icons will replace the now used keyboard and display screen.

Industry veteran Bob Tramontano, vice president of marketing at NCR, comments, “I don’t think holograms are ready for prime time as far as the technology is concerned,” says Tramontano. “but I think gesture-based interaction is something that will be very appropriate in the near to distant future.”

This new technology provides greater security for ATM users and for banks. It will be harder, with this technology in place, to force someone to withdrawal cash or to try and hijack the entire cash dispenser.

There are other prototypes that are focusing on a myriad of divergent security measures such as a built in audio lie detector and replacing the traditional moneygram to ones that can be sent via the internet right from the ATM machine itself.

There is also a cash into gold machine coined “Gold to Go”.  Just visit the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas to see how this one works.

For detailed information on ATMs of the future watch the Youtube video below (it’s in Portuguese but the video shows how the technology works).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tools to Analyze if Someone is Lying

Ever wanted to know if someone was lying to you?

In this video, Dr. Mark Frank, an expert in deception detection and body language from the University of Buffalo, explains some of the latest technology used to catch liars and what his definition of a “hotspot” is.

Tools to analyze if someone is lying: wivb.com