Breaking in: Physical Intrusion & Social Engineering Tradecraft

• Basic understanding of security assessments or red team concepts
• Interest in social engineering, OSINT, physical security, or adversarial testing
• Willingness to participate in discussion and practical exercises
• No prior physical intrusion experience is required.

• Red teamers
• Social engineers
• Physical security testers
• Penetration testers expanding into physical or human-focused testing
• Security consultants
• Internal security teams
• Blue teamers and defenders
• GRC, security awareness, and security leadership professionals who want to better understand how physical and human controls are tested

Students will learn how to:

1. Plan physical social engineering engagements around client objectives

2. Use OSINT and surveillance to support the test plan

3. Build believable and flexible pretexts

4. Apply social engineering psychology during real-world interactions

5. Recognize when a pretext is working, slipping, or no longer useful

6. Adapt during challenged interactions

7. Convert blocked exterior attempts into assumed-breach testing when appropriate

8. Align “trophies” with meaningful control validation

9. Debrief and report physical/social engineering findings clearly

Most physical intrusion training focuses on tricks, war stories, or getting the biggest trophy. This class teaches students how to think and operate like a professional physical red teamer.

Students will learn how to research a target, build a believable pretext, conduct hostile surveillance, approach a facility, adapt under pressure, and keep the test aligned with the client’s actual security objectives.