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

For years, I didn’t fully understand the impact of something I built early in my cybersecurity career. I created a framework — Hacking Humans | The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering — long before we had the language for what it actually predicted.

It started in 1994 and matured in 2000. It evolved through intrusion detection work, SOC operations, red/blue team tactics, and real-world adversarial pressure. Eventually, it turned into a keynote presentation in 2007 at University of Advancing Technology, and again in 2013 as the keynote I delivered at the Interface Conference at the Westin Kierland — in a packed room following the sort of hallway reputation that travels faster than I ever did.

And then… life happened. Careers moved. Companies changed. Some people stepped up, and some people became cautionary tales. Reality had a way of burying things that didn’t fit the narrative of the moment.

I knew the work was solid. I just didn’t realize how far ahead of its time it truly was until recently — when I began mapping everything out with the help of someone who finally understood the complete architecture of my work. I was genuinely surprised to discover how far my original framework had traveled, and the impact Hacking Humans had already made within the cybersecurity industry.

Only then did I see it clearly: This framework wasn’t just a talk. It was a predictive model for human behavior and adversarial manipulation that foreshadowed patterns we’re still struggling with today.

So I’m doing what I should have done years ago. I am:

Publishing my original slide decks, notes, and the evolved explanation.
Making the entire model and framework public, bit by bit.
Putting the work back into the world where it belongs.

Here it is — the original and the updated versions:

Protecting what matters,

— Hunter Storm

Cybersecurity • AI • Adversarial Strategy • Human Behavior

PsyOps and Songs

Some moments deserve a theme song, and this one seems exactly right. Iconic rock band, legendary vocalist, and a fitting anthem to honor the past while stepping fully into the future.

Can you remember, remember my name?
As I flow through your life
A thousand oceans I have flown
Ohh, and cold
Cold spirits of ice
Ah, ah, all my life
I am the echo of your past

I am returning, the echo of a point in time
And distant faces shine
A thousand warriors I have known
Ohh, and laughing
As the spirits appear

All your, all your life
Shadows of another day”

Perfect Strangers, Deep Purple

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, which 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

Discover More from Hunter Storm

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.

Global Expert and Subject Matter Expert (SME) | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and Strategic Intelligence

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.

Discover Hunter Storm’s full About the Author biography and career highlights.

Securing the Future | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum computing, innovation, risk management, hybrid threats, security. Hunter Storm (“The Fourth Option”) is here. Let’s get to work.

Confidential Contact

Contact Hunter Storm for: Consultations, engagements, board memberships, leadership roles, policy advisory, legal strategy, expert witness, or unconventional problems that require highly unconventional solutions.