Hacking Heuristics
summary
Argues that mental shortcuts shape both humans and tools and that attackers exploit them to change what defenders notice, citing a Xerox study where 93% comply with a bogus justification and the Linda problem where 80% pick the conjunction. Demonstrates mapping Active Directory with BloodHound shortest path to reach domain admin, using ProcDump LSASS dumps to grab creds, and Cobalt Strike profiles hosted on Google Cloud Run and domain-fronted infrastructure; shows phishing that mimics real domains and lifetimes bypasses strong defenses.
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chapters (14)
- 0:00Introduction to hacking heuristics
- 1:52Defining heuristics and biases
- 7:57Case study on justification bias
- 10:05Representativeness heuristic explained
- 13:57Narratives disrupting predictions
- 16:22Context and situational awareness
- 18:13Active Directory relationships
- 21:24Blending in with social roles
- 25:19Living off the land techniques
- 29:58Network infrastructure and C2
- 33:52Telling stories with domains
- 37:50Realism in phishing campaigns
- 41:03Targeting specific professions
- 43:33Changing personal narratives
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