Eliciting Information: The Paradox of the Grumpy Guy

Being able to talk to people is a critical skill for every industry, but being able to get information out of people, especially sensitive information, and without them realizing they’re divulging such info is a critical skill for a black team social engineer.

Elicitation, the ability to pull sensitive information out of a person without them realizing it, hinges not just on asking the right questions but identifying the right people from whom to ask these questions. I have previously written about how to spot soft targets, or people are likely reseptive to your elicitation approach by utilizing and looking out for, the non verbal friendship signals.

While this is a fantastic approach to spotting your soft targets, and makes up a good portion of the individuals that I elicite information from, there is another type of person that often makes for a paradoxically easy win, and that is the grumpy guy.

The Lure of Non-Verbal Friendship Signals

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Consider, for a moment, the approach you might take if tasked with infiltrating a building or extracting sensitive information without raising alarms. Identifying potential allies based on their body language can seem like a logical first step. Individuals who exhibit signs of openness and warmth are often perceived as low-hanging fruit in the realm of elicitation. They seem approachable, likely to engage in conversation, and potentially less guarded about what they share. Most importantly, by recipricating the non verbal frienship signals they are telling you that they are friendly and do not see you as any kind of threat.

This perception is rooted in our understanding of social cues; a person who smiles genuinely at us or whose posture suggests receptivity is intuitively seen as a safer bet for initiating contact.

However, focusing solely on these signals can sometimes lead us down a path of missed opportunities. Enter the seemingly counterintuitive target: the grumpy guy.

Unveiling the Paradox of the Grumpy Guy

Photo by Niranjan _ Photographs on Unsplash

The grumpy guy as a person might not initially scream 'approachable', they're often overlooked or intentionally avoided due to their seemingly hostile or closed-off demeanor. Yet, it's precisely these individuals who can prove to be gold mines of information for the skilled elicitor. But why is this the case?