Ep. 341 - The Security Awareness Series - Cognitive Bias in InfoSec with Josten Pena

Today on the Social-Engineer Podcast: The Security Awareness Series, Chris Hadnagy is joined by Josten Pena for an in-depth discussion on cognitive biases and their impact on cybersecurity. Together, they explore how inherent mental shortcuts can increase susceptibility to social engineering attacks. The conversation emphasizes the importance of recognizing and owning these biases, rather than trying to eliminate them, and highlights practical mitigation strategies like hands-on training and fostering critical thinking. [Feb 16, 2026]

00:00 – Intro 00:47 – Meet the Co-Host: Josten Pena

• 01:38 – Intro Links: Social-Engineer.com - http://www.social-engineer.com/

• Offensive Security Vishing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/vishing/

• Offensive Security SMiShing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/smishing/

• Offensive Security Phishing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/smishing/

• Call Back Phishing - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/call-back-phishing/

• Adversarial Simulation Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/adversarial-simulation/

• Social Engineering Risk Assessments - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/social-engineering-risk-assessment/

• Social-Engineer channel on SLACK - https://social-engineering-hq.slack.com/ssb

• CLUTCH - http://www.pro-rock.com/

02:26 – Innocent Lives Foundation & Music 03:36 – Diving into Cognitive Bias 06:42 – Cognitive Bias in Cybersecurity 09:26 – Real-World Examples & Practical Solutions 18:59 – Recap, Final Thoughts & Outro www.social-engineer.com www.innocentlivesfoundation.org