Confessions of a CIA Spy: The Art of Human Hacking

What can you learn from a CIA spy who spent his career artfully manipulating regular people to steal high-value secrets? Plenty! In this explosive book, former intelligence officer Peter Warmka unveils detailed methodologies that he and other threat actors use to breach the security of their targets, whether they’re high-profile individuals or entire organizations. His illustrative examples reveal:



the motivations and objectives behind attempted breaches by foreign intelligence services, criminal groups, industrial competitors, activists and other threat actors

how social media and carefully crafted insights into a victim’s motivations and vulnerabilities are leveraged during phishing, smishing, vishing and other advanced social engineering operations to obtain even closely held information

the psychology behind why humans are so susceptible to social engineering, and how influence techniques are used to circumvent established security protocols

how spies and other social engineers use elicitation to legally procure protected information from victims who often have no idea they’re being used


Whether you want to learn more about the intricate methods threat actors can use to access sensitive information on your organization or want to be able to spot the ways a social engineer might manipulate you in person or online, this book will change the way you think about that innocuous email in your inbox or that unusual interaction with an eager stranger.


Following his CIA career, Peter founded the Counterintelligence Institute in order to transform the way individuals and their organizations assess the control they have over their own security. The insights detailed in this book have led clients to prioritize proactive measures in breach prevention over the more costly reactive measures following a preventable breach.