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I can go into LinkedIn and search for network engineers…

“I can go into LinkedIn and search for network engineers and come up with a list of great spear-phishing targets because they usually have administrator rights over the network. Then I go onto Twitter or Facebook and trick them into doing something, and I have privileged access.” quote by Kevin Mitnick
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“I can go into LinkedIn and search for network engineers and come up with a list of great spear-phishing targets because they usually have administrator rights over the network. Then I go onto Twitter or Facebook and trick them into doing something, and I have privileged access.”

Kevin Mitnick

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Network engineers with admin rights are prime phishing targets; social media can be used to exploit them.

In simple terms: Admins are easy phishing targets via social media.

Key Takeaway

Secure admin accounts and train staff.

Themes

security phishing social engineering admin rights

Mood

cautionary educational

Type

security technical

When to use this quote

  • IT security
  • corporate training
  • incident response
  • access control

Key Concepts

Risk management human factor

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can you improve user awareness?
  • What policies reduce admin abuse?
A Different Perspective

Technical controls alone may not stop human error.

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