AT&T is Worried as HOPE and the Cult of the Dead Cow Present H2K2

Yahoo / Reuters - July 12, 2002

AT&T Warns Workers Not to Be Duped by Hackers

A hacker conference held in New York July 12-14, 2002 is making AT&T pretty worried. In the past, conference-goers have called AT&T during their presentation and using social engineering hacking tecniques to get passwords and other information in order to break into computer systems. They record the conversations and later sell the videotapes at their conference. Capitalism at its best!

What is social engineering you ask? It's simply asking the right person for the information you want, posing as someone who should have access to it. For example, suppose the Director of Security from your bank called and told you there had been some unauthorized activity at the bank and he needed to confirm your account information. Would you give it to him? A lot of people would, and that's what makes a hacker's life much easier.