Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering

By Hunter Storm

Originated in the 1990s, Presented in 2007 | Influencing Cybersecurity, OSINT, Intelligence, Psychology, and Human Factors Fields Through the Present

Overview | What Is “Hacking Humans?”

Hacking Humans is a behaviorally‑driven, technically‑structured framework and model created by Hunter Storm for understanding how humans can be mapped, targeted, and influenced through the same conceptual structure used in computer network exploitation: ports, services, protocols, vulnerabilities, and attack surfaces. This model was first introduced publicly in 2007 at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) in a packed room of:

Cybersecurity professionals
Enterprise defenders
Higher education security staff
Defense contractors
Media security teams
Senior members of ISACA

It represented the first known formalization of mapping human cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social vulnerability surfaces using the metaphor and structural logic of networking and systems security. At that time, nothing like this existed. Today (2025), the industry is built on concepts that trace back to Hunter Storm’s exact framework.

Significance of the Model (2007 → 2025)

First Public Formalization of Human Attack Surface Mapping

Before 2007, “social engineering” was treated as anecdotes or tricks — Kevin Mitnick stories, phishing basics, or con‑artist narratives. Hunter Storm was the first to:

Articulate that people have “ports,” “services,” and “protocols” exposed
Combine cyber, psychology, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and human factors into one cohesive model
Provide a structured methodology for enumerating, profiling, and exploiting (or defending) those surfaces
Systematize human vulnerabilities using a network‑layer analogy

This was revolutionary.

Fields That Later Emerged or Matured, Built on What Hunter Storm Pioneered

From 2007 to 2025, the following fields expanded massively — each echoing Hunter Storm’s core concepts:

Adversarial Psychology: A blended field combining:
- Behavioral Science
- Cognitive vulnerabilities
- Social engineering
- Threat intel

It adopts the same structure Hunter Storm articulated in 2007.

Behavioral Engineering / Influence Ops: Intelligence agencies and defense groups later developed influence, persuasion, and target mapping models that mirror Hunter Storm’s “ports and services” logic.
Digital manipulation, influence campaigns, psyops: Hunter Storm’s model was effectively a precursor to the entire MDM (misinformation / disinformation / malinformation) sector.
Human vulnerability‑mapping tools: These all rely on structured human attack surfaces — which Hunter Storm’s framework introduced first.
Human Factors Security / Cognitive Security: Entire industry sectors now treat the human brain as an exploitable system with cognitive “open ports.”
Insider Threat Programs: Many insider threat frameworks now treat employee patterns as “services” that can be monitored or exploited — a direct conceptual descendant.
Modern Social Engineering Methodologies
Multi‑stage human exploitation mapping
OSINT as a discipline: OSINT today is heavily dependent on human surface enumeration — Hunter Storm’s 2007 model was the first time anyone described humans this way.
OSINT frameworks
Pretexting models
Red Team Human Profiling: This exploded after 2014 but used concepts identical to Hunter Storm’s model without knowing the origin.

Hunter Storm was over 30 years ahead of the curve with her framework, with material she presented 18 years ahead of the curve. Her Hacking Humans framework is the skeleton that the industry built muscles on top of.

**C. Why Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering Lasts**

Because it blends:

Behavioral profiling
Cognitive vulnerabilities
Cybersecurity logic
Human psychology
Operational security
Social patterns

It is timeless. And because Hunter Storm used a technical metaphor that cybersecurity people instantly understood, it spread organically even without her publishing the slides originally. This is why resurfacing it now is so important.

Overview

The Ports & Services Model of Social Engineering—developed in the 1990s and first publicly presented by Hunter Storm in 2007—is one of the earliest comprehensive frameworks to analyze human vulnerabilities, behavioral vectors, and social exploitation techniques through a technical systems lens. Before this model emerged, social engineering was largely described in anecdotal, ad-hoc, or overly simplistic ways (“phishing,” “tailgating,” “trickery”). Hunter Storm’s model reframed human behavior using the same operational logic as networked systems:

Humans → Systems
Psychological weaknesses → Open ports
Manipulative tactics → Services running on those ports
Attackers → Operators interacting through those services

This fusion of technical and behavioral science laid the groundwork for modern social engineering, exploitation psychology, cyber deception, influence operations, and—unexpectedly—large parts of the biohacking movement, which later adopted Hunter Storm’s terminology of “hacking humans.”

The model has influenced everything from enterprise security training to OSINT methodology, red team operations, insider threat analysis, adversarial psychology, and even cultural discussions about human systems and autonomy. This hub page consolidates every artifact, every historical milestone, and every modern extension of the framework.

**Significance of Hacking Humans | The Ports & Services Model of Social Engineering (2007–2025)**

1. First technical‑behavioral hybrid model of social engineering

Hunter Storm’s model was the earliest known framework to directly map psychological vectors to computational analogies (ports, services, protocol stacks, privilege escalation, persistent footholds, and system compromise). It was a new, unique combination of:

Behavioral science
Cognitive public key infrastructure (PKI) references
HUMINT integration
Network modeling
Operational security methods
Tradecraft

2. Preceded and influenced modern fields

Many subfields that emerged or formalized after Hunter Storm’s 2007 presentation reflect the same conceptual backbone and terminology created by Hunter Storm:

Adversarial behavioral profiling
Attack surface management (human layer)
Biohacking / Hacking Humans movement
Cyber deception frameworks
Disinformation lifecycle analysis
Enterprise social engineering programs
Initial access analysis
Influence & persuasion modeling
OSINT tradecraft
The phrase “hacking humans” (and later “biohacking”) surged in the 2010s, frequently using the same structured analogies Hunter used at per presentation back in 2007.
Many practitioners adopted terminology straight from Hunter Storm’s model without knowing its origin.

3. Introduced the Concept of “Human System Architecture”

This was far ahead of its time. Today it’s mainstream — but in 2007 it was unheard of.

4. Shifted Industry Culture

Hunter Storm was one of the few women in the room—one of two women total besides the ISACA President—and brought both technical rigor and unapologetic wit. The snark in the original notes is part of what made the presentation legendary.

5. Widely Referenced Informally, Even Where Not Credited

Across security, psychology, and even hacker culture, Hunter Storm’s ideas spread quietly and were absorbed into common vocabulary.

**Artifacts in the Hacking Humans Archive**

Below is the official structured archive of Hunter Storm’s original model and framework.

1. Origin Story

The Birth of the Ports & Services Model (2007)

Explains the circumstances, audience, and environment at the University of Advancing Technology’s packed auditorium with attendees from:

Enterprise cybersecurity
Media security
Higher education
Defense & intelligence
Law enforcement
ISACA leadership

This page covers the creation of the model, its purpose, and its first real‑world deployment.

➡️ Origin of Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering

2. Original Presentation Notes (Uploaded Word Doc, 2007)

Hunter Storm’s authentic Microsoft Word document containing:

The original model
Examples that would absolutely send HR into orbit today
Hunter Storm’s early terminology, coined to describe concepts in her framework: “hacking humans,” “Human Data Leak Protection (HDLP),” “Human Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Model,” etc.
Unfiltered commentary
The exact speaking notes the room saw in 2007
The snark that became part of Hunter Storm’s brand

➡️ Original Presentation Notes:

3. HTML/Text Version of the Original Notes

Fully searchable and SEO‑optimized, containing:

Clarified sections for educational use
Contextual annotations
The model in clean text

➡️

Original Presentation Notes in Adobe PDF format: Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering: 2007 Presentation Notes
Original Presentation Notes in Microsoft Word Document format: Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering: 2007 Presentation Notes

4. PowerPoint Slides Page

This page includes captured slides from Hunter Storm’s unreleased deck, which she presented as the keynote speaker at two cybersecurity events:

Early diagrams
Original ports & services mapping
The color-coded mind maps
Hunter Storm’s original “human architecture” diagrams that predate behavioral OSINT frameworks

➡️ Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering Presentation Slides

5. The White Paper (Longform, Authoritative Version)

A full professional write-up expanding the 2007 model into a formal, cite‑ready paper for:

Academic references
Industry publications
MITRE
NATO Emerging and Disruptive Technology (EDT)
NIST

➡️ Link

6. Modern Applications & Analysis (2007–2025)

A section or page that analyzes:

How red teams use Hunter Storm’s ports & services mapping today
How adversaries use these vectors operationally
The connection to insider threat indicators
The spread of Hunter Storm’s terminology across hacker culture
How biohacking adopted Hunter Storm’s “hacking humans” terminology
How Hunter Storm’s model matured into modern human attack surface methodologies

➡️ Master Table | Fields, Subfields, and Industries Influenced by Hunter Storm’s Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering

7. Related Media, Interviews, and Commentary

Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering Archive

Note on Document Integrity

Some high‑visibility materials on this site have previously experienced post‑publication formatting interference. All content has been verified and restored to its correct form. If you notice anything that appears visually inconsistent, please report it via my contact page so it can be corrected promptly.

Learn more in this short article, with screenshots documenting post-publication interference in Hunter Storm’s Hacking Humans presentation notes. Each alteration has been identified and corrected, ensuring the work remains verifiable and intact.

Playing Reindeer Games | Documenting Accuracy, Intervention, and Integrity

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About the Author | Hunter Storm | Technology Executive | Global Thought Leader | Keynote Speaker

CISO | Advisory Board Member | SOC Black Ops Team | Systems Architect | Strategic Policy Advisor | Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Quantum Innovator | Cyber-Physical-Psychological Hybrid Threat Expert | Ultimate Asymmetric Advantage

Background

Hunter Storm is a veteran Fortune 100 Chief Information Security Officer (CISO); Advisory Board Member; Security Operations Center (SOC) Black Ops Team Member; Systems Architect; Risk Assessor; Strategic Policy and Intelligence Advisor; Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Quantum Innovator, and Cyber-Physical-Psychological (Cyber-Phys-Psy) Hybrid Threat Expert; and Keynote Speaker with deep expertise in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies.

Drawing on decades of experience in global Fortune 100 enterprises, including Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab, and American Express; aerospace and high-tech manufacturing leaders such as Alcoa and Special Devices (SDI) / Daicel Safety Systems (DSS); and leading technology services firms such as CompuCom, she guides organizations through complex technical, strategic, and operational challenges.

Hunter Storm combines technical mastery with real-world operational resilience in high-stakes environments. She builds and protects systems that often align with defense priorities, but serve critical industries and public infrastructure. She combines first-hand; hands-on; real-world cross-domain expertise in risk assessment, security, and ethical governance; and field-tested theoretical research with a proven track record in high-stakes environments that demand both technical acumen and strategic foresight.

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Hunter Storm is a globally recognized Subject Matter Expert (SME) in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum technology, intelligence, strategy, and emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs) as defined by NATO and other international frameworks.

A recognized subject matter expert (SME) with top-tier expert networks including GLG (Top 1%), AlphaSights, and Third Bridge, Hunter Storm advises Board Members, CEOs, CTOs, CISOs, Founders, and Senior Executives across technology, finance, and consulting sectors. Her insights have shaped policy, strategy, and high-risk decision-making at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, quantum technology, and human-technical threat surfaces.

Projects | Research and Development (R&D) | Frameworks

Hunter Storm is the creator of The Storm Project | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and the Future of Intelligence, the largest AI research initiative in history.

Hunter Storm pioneered Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering, introducing foundational concepts that have profoundly shaped modern human-centric security disciplines, including behavioral security, human risk modeling, red teaming, psychological operations (PsyOps), and biohacking. It continues to inform the practice and theory of cybersecurity today, adopted by governments, enterprises, and global security communities.

Hunter Storm also pioneered the first global forensic mapping of digital repression architecture, suppression, and censorship through her project Viewpoint Discrimination by Design | First Global Forensic Mapping of Digital Repression Architecture, monitoring platform accountability and digital suppression worldwide.

Achievements and Awards

Hunter Storm is a Mensa member and recipient of the Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award, reflecting her enduring influence on AI, cybersecurity, quantum, technology, strategy, and global security.

Hunter Storm | The Ultimate Asymmetric Advantage

Hunter Storm is known for solving problems most won’t touch. She combines technical mastery, operational agility, and strategic foresight to protect critical assets and shape the future at the intersection of technology, strategy, and high-risk decision-making.

Hunter Storm reframes human-technical threat surfaces to expose vulnerabilities others miss, delivering the ultimate asymmetric advantage.

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