08/13/2026
Rapport is not friendliness.
It is how trust forms in a conversation.
In social engineering, rapport is often misunderstood as simply being likable. But rapport is more about creating enough comfort for a conversation to continue.
That can happen through tone, timing, shared context, active listening, or the feeling that the other person understands the situation.
For defenders, understanding rapport matters because trust does not always feel suspicious while it is being built. Sometimes it feels helpful. Sometimes it feels efficient. Sometimes it feels like a normal conversation.
One thing students learn in FASE is how communication, trust, influence, and observation shape human behavior and security decisions.
When security professionals understand rapport, they are better equipped to recognize when it is being used ethically and when it is being exploited.
Social engineering starts with understanding human behavior.