Module 01
Pretext design
Building a pretext that survives scrutiny: research, story, pressure and the details that give it away.
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ESE certification
Ethical Social Engineering
A certification for security professionals who run authorised social engineering assessments.
Offensive human-layer tradecraft, for authorised testing.
Who it is for
Red team operators, penetration testers, and internal security teams building an offensive human-layer capability.
Modules
At a glance
| Code | ESE |
| Format | Instructor-led, scenario-driven |
| Assessment | Practical exercise and written report |
| Delivery | Private cohort or scheduled open cohort |
| Prerequisite | None, though security experience helps |
Module 02
Channel selection
Choosing between voice, email, text and physical approaches, and what each channel does to the target's defences.
Module 03
Influence under pressure
How influence and manipulation actually work in a live interaction, and how to stay inside the authorisation you were given.
Module 04
Recording and reporting
Capturing results per target and per pretext so the campaign produces evidence rather than anecdotes.
Module 05
Ethics and authorisation
Scope, rules of engagement, consent, handling of personal data, and the legal boundary that makes the work legitimate.
Authorisation is part of the curriculum. These techniques are legal only when applied with written permission against systems and people you are authorised to test. Every module that covers technique also covers the boundary — scope, consent, data handling and the point at which the work would become unlawful. We do not teach techniques for use outside an authorised engagement.
Enquire about ESE.
Tell us how many participants and whether you want an open or private cohort. We will send dates and the full syllabus.