Christopher James Hadnagy is an American author and

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of Data (computing), data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information te ...

security consultant. He is recognized for his contributions to the field of social engineering in information security.

Career

Christopher J. Hadnagy is the founder and CEO of Social-Engineer LLC, a company specializing in education and training in social engineering. He also established ''Social-Engineer.Org'', an IT security education website. Over his 17-year career, Hadnagy has contributed significantly to the information security industry, including developing a social engineering framework, producing a newsletter, and hosting a podcast focused on the subject. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona's Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations, designated by the

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

. In 2019,

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

reported that Hadnagy sold computer software designed for identifying anonymous online child predators to the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

for $250,000.

Charitable Foundation

In 2017, Hadnagy founded the Innocent Lives Foundation, dedicated to protecting children from online predators by investigating child exploitation, sexual abuse, trafficking, and the production of child sexual abuse material. The foundation collaborates with information security professionals, utilizes

open-source intelligence Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (covert and publicly available sources) to produce actionable intelligence. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforcement, and busi ...

(OSINT), and works with law enforcement agencies in the United States, including support from actor

Erin Gray Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American model, casting agent, and actress whose roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and Kate Summers-Stratton in the situat ...

and the FBI.

DEF CON

Hadnagy contributed to DEF CON by helping create a social engineering competition in 2009 and sponsoring one of the first social engineering capture the flag events in 2010. In 2018, he revealed his online moniker "LoganWHD" to a reporter from The New York Times. However, Hadnagy was permanently banned from DEF CON in 2022 for code of conduct violations, a decision he publicly disputed. He later sued DEF CON for harm to his reputation, a case that is currently pending.

BSides Cleveland

In 2021,

Security BSides Security BSides (commonly referred to as BSides) is a series of loosely affiliated information security conferences. It was co-founded by Mike Dahn, Jack Daniel, and Chris Nickerson in 2009. Due to an overwhelming number of presentation submissi ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

featured Hadnagy as an unlisted "special guest" speaker. Controversy surrounding his participation and speaking led to several other speakers withdrawing from the event in the moment of speaking. Organization sponsors that brought on Hadnagy included local security companies.

Books

Christopher Hadnagy has authored several books on social engineering, including: * ''Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking'' (2018, John Wiley & Sons Inc.) * ''Unmasking the Social Engineer: The Human Element of Security'' (2014, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) * ''Phishing Dark Waters: The Offensive and Defensive Sides of Malicious E-mails'' (2015, John Wiley & Sons Inc.), co-authored with Michele Fincher and Robin Dreeke * ''Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking'' (2010, Wiley Publishing, Inc.) * ''Human Hacking: Win Friends, Influence People, and Leave Them Better Off for Having Met You'' (2021, Harper Business)

References

External links

Innocent Lives Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadnagy, Chris American computer specialists 21st-century American male writers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Social engineering (security)