Cybersecurity In-Depth: Feature articles on security strategy, latest trends, and people to know.
The crime solver wore disguises, spied on targets, and built intelligence networks long before modern-day tactics emerged. He has lessons for today’s ethical- and nonethical-hat hackers.
August 10, 2026
With a green deerstalker cap, a blue and green plaid shawl covering her shoulders and a pipe resting in her right hand right below her mouth, it was almost impossible to tell the difference between Sherlock Holmes and Elizabeth Rasnick. But that was the point— social engineering is all about deception.
Holmes was the original social engineer, argued Resnick, assistant professor at the University of West Florida's Center for Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI). During DEF CON 34, she drew parallels between current social engineering techniques and Holmes's own playbook as described in the detective tales. Her session highlighted how important it is for organizations to continually prioritize the human element when it comes to social engineering and security awareness training, despite how difficult that's proved historically.
