Cons through and through.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF")
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller, imitating Mr. Peterson) Rooney. Rooney.
Dave Bittner: Hello, everyone, and welcome to a special edition of the "Hacking Humans" podcast, an occasional series we call Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies. I'm Dave Bittner from the CyberWire. And joining me is my "Hacking Humans" co-host Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute. Hello, Joe.
Joe Carrigan: Hi, Dave.
Dave Bittner: On this show, Joe and I look at clips from some of our favorite movies, clips which demonstrate some of the scams and schemes we talk about on hacking humans. Joining the fun this week is Perry Carpenter. He is the host of the 8th Layer Insights podcast and chief evangelist at KnowBe4 Welcome to the show, Perry.
Perry Carpenter: Hey.
Dave Bittner: We've got some fun clips to share, so stay tuned. We'll be right back after this message from our show's sponsor.
Dave Bittner: All right, gents, I'm going to kick things off for us this week. My clip this week is from the 2015 movie called "Focus," which is a crime comedy drama that stars Will Smith and Margot Robbie. Will Smith plays a career con man and he takes Margot Robbie under his wing. She's an aspiring con person - con artist, I suppose. Heads up for our listeners, there is a bit of spicy language in today's clip, so use your discretion if you're tuning in with your kids. This scene is actually the opening of the movie where - spoiler alert - we don't yet know that Will Smith - his character, whose name is Nicky - is actually a con man. Margot Robbie plays Jess, who, in this scene, appears to simply be a beautiful, fashionable woman who is being harassed by some hopeful suitors in a hotel bar. Will Smith appears to be a businessman just sitting in the bar restaurant there - the hotel restaurant - enjoying a meal. Here's the clip.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FOCUS")
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Oh, but you know what? He's right there. That's my friend. (As Jess) Will you be my boyfriend? Just for a minute? You're not a serial killer, are you?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) That depends. How many times does it take to get to serial?
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Five?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Oh, no. We're good.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Jess.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Nicky.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Burgundy.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Very good.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) It's very confusing, isn't it? How do you know it all?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Mostly from drinking. Yeah, more you drink, more you learn.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) In that case, I am the foremost expert in Jagerbombs. I will walk you through it all.
Unidentified Actor: (As character) It's been a pleasure to serve you, Chef Oshowole.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Chef who?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Oshowole.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) You know, maybe the roofie is talking, but this was really fun. Thank you. Thank you for rescuing me.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Yeah. We showed him.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Yeah.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) You got to respect him though. He left it all on the field.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) That's what I'm missing out on tonight?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Yeah (laughter).
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Wow. Shit.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Can I walk you somewhere?
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Actually, I'm staying here - upstairs.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Oh, really?
(SOUNDBITE OF ORGONE'S "SMALL TIME")
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Oh, my God. It's my husband.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) Shut the fuck up.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Jared, wait.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) I'll fucking kill you.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Jered, just let him go.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) No fucking way. He's fucking dead. Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't do it.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) I'm drawing a blank.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) What?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) I think you should shoot me. Let's be honest, you've been aggrieved.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Don't mess around with him, Nicky. He's done hard time.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) I've done fucking hard time.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) If you had any idea what I was about to do to her. I mean...
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) Shut up, man.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) ...She was going to be no good to you after that, so you should really shoot me.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) Fuck.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) What kind of stuff are we talking about?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Saudi bachelor party shit.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) Saudi bachelor party?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) R. Kelly drop cloth shit. Please. Come on, shoot me.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) Would you stop fucking around? I'm going to fucking kill you.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) You'd really be doing me a favor. Cancer. Tumor the size of a peach. Pull the trigger, you'll see.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) You got cancer?
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) He's on to us.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) Oh, shit. I knew this wasn't going to fucking work.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) You guys suck.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Just give us the money.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Or what?
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Or he's going to shoot you in the neck.
Dominic Fumusa: (As Jared) I don't want to shoot a guy with cancer. Grandma Mukulski had cancer.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) He doesn't have cancer, you idiot.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) You guys really boned this thing. First of all, you got to wait till she gets my pants off, and then you got to give me a chance to run. That's how you get the money. And you never drop the con. You never break. Die with the lie.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) When did you make us?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) When you stole a wallet from the bum downstairs.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Bullshit.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) No, real shit.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) Then why'd you come up here if you're so smart?
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Professional curiosity, and I like boobs. You know, I figured it was a win-win. All thumbs, sweetheart. It was a bum lift.
Margot Robbie: (As Jess) It was a great lift.
Will Smith: (As Nicky) Please. He was so shithoused, you could have taken his appendix. You suck.
(LAUGHTER)
Dave Bittner: All right. Gents, what do you think? Why don't we start with you, Joe?
Joe Carrigan: I was wondering what was going on in that scene. First off, my suspicion is raised when a woman comes over to a guy and says, hey, can you be my boyfriend for a minute? That to me is - I don't know. No woman has ever done that to me, nor...
(LAUGHTER)
Joe Carrigan: ...And if she did, I'd immediately be suspicious. So, you know, it's - Will Smith is a con man, and these other two characters are con men as well. And they're just going to try to shake him down for money after the alleged husband comes in and threatens to blow his head off. So...
Dave Bittner: Right.
Joe Carrigan: You know, it's a pretty straightforward con. But the - I like the way Will Smith handles it, 'cause he knows it's a con. And he just says, go ahead and shoot me.
Dave Bittner: Yeah. Perry, what do you think?
Perry Carpenter: Well, actually, this is a movie I saw right when it came out because the consulting work that was done on it was really interesting. There's a guy named Apollo Robbins, who is a world-renowned pickpocket...
Dave Bittner: Yeah.
Perry Carpenter: ...That did training for Will Smith and Margot Robbie. So a lot of the lifts and things like that are great in this. And the work behind the cons and how the setups work and the investment of the emotion and all that, I think, are great as well. So it's a fun watch, with a lot of morally ambiguous characters.
Dave Bittner: Yeah. Yeah. No. And if you're interested in this sort of thing, as you point out, there's - there are many, many scams throughout this movie. And one of the fun parts is they explain them, so - but I think Joe's right. I mean, it's pretty straightforward here. You know, if somebody comes up to you in a hotel bar and offers you something that's too good to be true...
Joe Carrigan: Right.
Dave Bittner: ...Chances - which, in this case...
Perry Carpenter: Probably is.
Dave Bittner: ...In this case is a - yes, a beautiful, fashionable woman - it is probably too good to be true. And that was the setup. But, you know, a fun little bit of comedy there, with Will Smith being onto them the whole time. All right. That is my clip this week. Perry, you have the other clip for us. What do you have to share?
Perry Carpenter: Yeah. So my clip goes back to - I think every one of us right here is in the over-40 group. So if you flash back to our childhood, there was a very well-known filmmaker by the name of John Hughes, who wrote things like "Home Alone" and "National Lampoon's Vacation" and "The Breakfast Club" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." So there's a movie that he wrote that's also very famous called "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." And Ferris is high school kid, doesn't like always going to class, is well-known for cutting class, has a rivalry with his principal, and he's coming up on graduation and wants one last day off. And he ropes his friend Cameron into doing that with him. And in this clip, he and Cameron are trying to get Ferris' girlfriend out of school that day. And so they've got a con with the principal. And so that's probably enough to tee us up for this.
Dave Bittner: All right.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF")
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Dead grandmother?
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Yes, that's what Mr. Peterson said. I had Florence Sparrow notify Sloane - poor little lamb.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Who's this girl going out with?
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) It's so hard to tell these days. I do see her with Ferris Bueller quite a little bit.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Would you get me Mr. Peterson's daytime number, please?
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Surely.
(SOUNDBITE OF PHONE RINGING)
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Ed Rooney's office.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) This is George Peterson.
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Oh. Please hold. What do you know? It's Mr. Peterson. You still want his daytime number?
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Ed Rooney.
Dave Bittner: I love her.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF")
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) This is George Peterson.
Perry Carpenter: Yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF")
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) How are you today, sir?
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Well, we've had a bit of bad luck this morning, as you may have heard.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Yeah, I heard. And I'm all broken up. Boy, what a blow.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's been a tough morning, and we've got a lot of family business to take care of. So if you wouldn't mind excusing Sloane, I'd appreciate it.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Sure. I'd be happy to. Yeah. You just produce a corpse, and I'll release Sloane. I want to see this dead grandmother firsthand.
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Ed.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) It's all right, Grace. It's Ferris Bueller, the little twerp. I'm going to set a trap and let him fall right into it.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Ed, I'm sorry. Did you say you wanted to see a body?
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Yeah, that's right. Just roll her old bones on over here, and I'll dig up your daughter. You know, that's school policy. Was this your mother?
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) No, my wife's mother.
(SOUNDBITE OF PHONE RINGING)
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Ed Rooney's office.
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Hi. This is Ferris Bueller. Can I speak to Mr. Rooney, please? Thank you.
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Hold.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Tell you what, dipshit. You don't like my policies, you can just come on down here and smooch my big, old, white butt.
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Ed.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Pucker up, buttercup. What?
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Ferris Bueller's on line two.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Hey, Mr. Rooney. How are you doing? Listen, I'm sorry to disturb you at work, but I'm not feeling very well today, and I was wondering if it might be possible for my sister to bring home any assignments from my classes that I might need. Have a nice day.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Mr. Peterson? You know, I think I owe you an apology, sir.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Well, I should say you do.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) I - I, I, I.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Well, I think you should be sorry, for Christ's sake. A' family member dies, and you insult me. What the hell is the matter with you, anyway?
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Well, I - you - I really don't know, sir. I mean, I didn't think I was talking to you. I thought I was talking to somebody else. You know, sir, that I would never deliberately insult you like that. I can't begin to tell you how embarrassed I am.
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) What do you want?
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Pardon my French, but you're an asshole...
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) What do you want?
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Asshole.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) You're absolutely right, sir. You've hit the nail right on the head. Find out where she is.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) This isn't over yet, buster. Do you read me?
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Loud and clear, Mr. Peterson.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Call me sir, goddamn it.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Yes. Yes. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) That's better.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) No, no, no, no, no, no.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) And you just mind your P's and Q's, buster, and remember who you're dealing with.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Bueller. Ferris Bueller.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) Now, I'm a little scared 'cause, what if he recognizes my voice?
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Impossible. You're doing great.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) Yeah?
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Jesus - wait.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Rooney?
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace, imitating Ed Rooney) Oh. Oh.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Rooney. Calm down.
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Just moment. Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) It was just a little office difficulty, sir.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Rooney, I don't have all day to bark at you, so I'm going to make this short and sweet.
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) That's perfect.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) I want my daughter out in front of the school in 10 minutes by herself. I don't want anybody... (As Cameron Frye) What?
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) It's too suspicious. He'll think something's up. Cover it.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) You.
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Talk.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) You.
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Talk.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) Come on.
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) 306.
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Talk.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) No. (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Rooney. Rooney.
Jeffrey Jones: (As Ed Rooney) Yes. Yes.
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye, imitating Mr. Peterson) Listen here. Pay attention. I changed my mind. I want you out in front of the school with her. I'd like to have a few words with you, by God. On second thought, we don't have time to talk like men. We'll get together soon, and we'll have lunch. (As Cameron Frye) Ow. What the hell is wrong with you?
Edie Mcclurg: (As Grace) Wait. Wait.
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Where's your brain?
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) Why'd you kick me?
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Where's your brain?
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) Why'd you kick me?
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) Where's your brain?
Alan Ruck: (As Cameron Frye) I asked you first.
Matthew Broderick: (As Ferris Bueller) How can we pick up Sloane if Rooney is there with her?
Dave Bittner: All right.
Perry Carpenter: Yeah.
Dave Bittner: I love this movie.
(LAUGHTER)
Joe Carrigan: It's a great movie.
Dave Bittner: All right, Perry, unpack this for us. What are we...
Perry Carpenter: Yeah.
Dave Bittner: ...Looking at here?
Perry Carpenter: Well, so for those of us that haven't seen that scene before - so it opens up with Cameron, Ferris' friend, calling the principal and doing what we in the industry call a pretext - so pretending to be somebody else, pretending to be Sloane's father and saying that there's been a tragedy in the family, and he wants to - Sloane to be able - to be out of school that day. And, of course, that rivalry between the principal and Ferris - because the principal found out that Ferris Bueller is her boyfriend - immediately gets in his head. He thinks that something's up.
Perry Carpenter: And so what we see is a really interesting play on emotions and irrationality through this whole thing from everybody, I think, which is what makes it so fun, because you have the principal trying to prove a point. You have Cameron and Ferris trying to get away with something - and also showing that if a con man has an accomplice, it becomes infinitely more difficult for the regular person to get out of because it's two against one, and it's multiple minds that can play off of each other at the same time. And then I love it - the scene when the assistant comes in and is now also pretexting, pretending to be with the principal to stall for time...
(LAUGHTER)
Joe Carrigan: Right.
Dave Bittner: Right (laughter).
Perry Carpenter: ...So that you have so many levels of chaos and pretexting and then storytelling...
Dave Bittner: Right.
Perry Carpenter: ...All in this that it just makes it fun to watch.
Dave Bittner: (Laughter) No, absolutely. I remember - and, you know, I think there - we - those of us who grew up in this era have great affection for many of the John Hughes films. And this one is certainly near the top of the list for me. I remember all throughout college, one of my college chums would often say, (imitating Cameron Frye imitating Mr. Peterson) oh, Rooney. Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
Dave Bittner: Just...
Perry Carpenter: Wow, that was perfect.
Dave Bittner: That was just his exclamation that he'd say (imitating Cameron Frye imitating Mr. Peterson) I call you up, and you insult me. Like, those are...
(LAUGHTER)
Joe Carrigan: Who used to love doing their...
Dave Bittner: People love to do - I don't know whose voice he's doing there, but...
Perry Carpenter: Yeah, that's Cameron doing Sloane's dad's voice.
Dave Bittner: Right.
Joe Carrigan: I understand what - but that's, like, a character voice that you hear a lot...
Dave Bittner: Yeah.
Joe Carrigan: ...In...
Perry Carpenter: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I don't know.
Dave Bittner: Yeah.
Joe Carrigan: Like, I want to say Jim Backus, but it's not Jim Backus.
Dave Bittner: No. No.
Joe Carrigan: It's someone like that.
Dave Bittner: Yeah. Yeah.
Joe Carrigan: I would like to point out that at one point in time, Principal Rooney is about to do the right thing, and he says, give me Sloane's dad's daytime phone number, right?
Perry Carpenter: Right.
Dave Bittner: Oh, yeah.
Joe Carrigan: I'm going to call out.
Dave Bittner: Yeah.
Joe Carrigan: But before he can do that, Cameron calls up and says - identifies himself as Sloane's dad, and the teach - - or the secretary says, do you still want the daytime phone...
Dave Bittner: (Laughter).
Joe Carrigan: ...Number? He goes, no, I don't.
Dave Bittner: Right.
Perry Carpenter: Right.
Joe Carrigan: Which - he should...
Perry Carpenter: Yep.
Joe Carrigan: ...Have said, yes. He should have said, I'm sorry. I'll call you right back and then...
Dave Bittner: Right.
Perry Carpenter: Yeah.
Joe Carrigan: ...Hung up and...
Perry Carpenter: Interception.
Joe Carrigan: ...Called him. Right.
Dave Bittner: That would have fixed the whole thing...
Joe Carrigan: Yep.
Dave Bittner: ...Right?
Joe Carrigan: Absolutely.
Dave Bittner: Yeah. Yeah. All right.
Joe Carrigan: So close.
Dave Bittner: Oh, such great fun. Such great - I got to go watch this whole movie now (laughter). All right. Well, certainly a great clip - two great clips today, lots of fun - and Perry Carpenter. Thanks so much for joining us today. We appreciate you being a part of the festivities.
Perry Carpenter: Yeah. Thanks for having me. These kind of movies are great. They - to bring anything, like, you know, social engineering tradecraft, the things that we study all day to the masses, is always fun to watch.
Dave Bittner: The "Hacking Humans" podcast is proudly produced in Maryland at the startup studios of DataTribe, where they're co-building the next generation of cybersecurity teams and technologies. Our senior producer is Jennifer Eiben. Our executive editor is Peter Kilpe. I'm Dave Bittner.
Joe Carrigan: I'm Joe Carrigan.
Perry Carpenter: And I'm Perry Carpenter.
Dave Bittner: Thanks for listening.
