Social Engineering Challenge 6: Tradecraft

My challenge for this week: take a picture of a fellow player without their knowledge.

As the semester continues, I'm noticing everyone is becoming increasingly cautious of fellow players. This is certainly understandable, and I'm suspicious of pretty much any question or abnormal behavior. To accomplish this task undetected, I had to do some thinking.

When a presentation is being made, I generally lock my laptop (which causes the display to turn off) so I can devote all my attention to those presenting. During the presentation, I noticed some reflections in the dark, semi-glossy surface of the display. Perfect.

Once the lights came back on, the reflections became more pronounced. I angled my laptop for a clear view of Inspector Green, and...

Bingo. As a bonus, Admiral Thistle is also visible in the background. Mission accomplished.

My strategy, though low-tech, was very effective. This was much less suspicious than simply pointing my phone at someone, or attempting to snap a picture discreetly (and possibly getting caught). As for my morals, it's a bit creepy. But then again, I've done creepier things in earlier challenges (see: A Midday Stroll). I didn't have any malicious intent (other than collecting some sweet points on the leaderboard), so no harm done. This strategy could certainly be used in other settings for more nefarious purposes, though. This would be very effective outdoors in bright light.

Reflections are awesome.

- The Admiral