Carl B. Johnson
Author

Carl B. Johnson

vCISO and compliance expert.

https://carlbjohnson.com

posts

Phishing Attack

Phishing Attack Anatomy: How Breaches Actually Start

In January 2024, a single phishing attack against Framework Computer exposed customer names, emails, and outstanding balances — all because one employee at an external accounting partner clicked a link in a convincing impersonation email. The attacker didn't hack a firewall. They didn't exploit a zero-day vulnerability.

Carl B. Johnson Jul 23, 2024 8 min read
Phishing News

Phishing News 2024: Attacks That Should Scare You

The Phishing Headlines Keep Getting Worse In January 2024, a finance worker at engineering firm Arup wired $25 million to threat actors after a deepfake video call that impersonated the company's CFO. That single incident captures everything terrifying about the current phishing news cycle: attacks are smarter, faster,

Carl B. Johnson Jul 23, 2024 6 min read
Phishing Scams

Phishing Scams: What Actually Works to Stop Them

In January 2024, a finance worker at engineering firm Arup wired $25 million to criminals after joining a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO and several colleagues. Every person on that call was a deepfake. The attack started with what every phishing scam starts

Carl B. Johnson Jul 23, 2024 8 min read
Is It Legit

Removed App: Is It Legit or a Security Risk?

Every week, someone on my team flags a new app or service that employees are asking about. "Hey, is this legit?" It's the single most common security question I hear — and for good reason. The FTC reported over $10 billion in consumer fraud losses in 2023,

Carl B. Johnson Jul 23, 2024 6 min read
Spear Phishing

What Is Spear Phishing? The Targeted Attack Behind Major Breaches

In 2023, MGM Resorts lost roughly $100 million after a threat actor called Scattered Spider social-engineered a help desk employee with a single phone call. The attackers had done their homework — they knew the employee's name, role, and enough personal detail to sound legitimate. That's not

Carl B. Johnson Jul 23, 2024 8 min read
Phishing

Define Phishing: What It Really Looks Like in 2024

In January 2024, a finance employee at a multinational firm in Hong Kong transferred $25.6 million to criminals after attending a deepfake video call where every other "participant" — including the CFO — was an AI-generated impersonation. That single incident redefines what phishing looks like today. If you still

Carl B. Johnson Jul 16, 2024 7 min read
Fake Identity Website

Fake Identity Website Threats: How to Spot and Stop Them

The Fake Identity Website That Fooled an Entire HR Department Earlier this year, an HR team at a mid-size logistics company received a job application that checked every box. The resume was polished, the LinkedIn profile looked legitimate, and the applicant's personal website — showcasing a portfolio and professional

Carl B. Johnson Jul 16, 2024 7 min read
Fake Mailer

Fake Mailer Attacks: How Threat Actors Spoof Emails

In January 2024, a finance director at a mid-sized logistics company wired $740,000 to a bank account in Hong Kong. The email requesting the transfer appeared to come from the CEO's exact email address — correct display name, correct domain, correct signature block. It wasn't the

Carl B. Johnson Jul 13, 2024 7 min read
FBI Gmail

FBI Gmail Warning: What You Need to Know in 2024

The FBI Gmail Alerts That Should Have Your Attention In early 2024, the FBI issued multiple warnings about sophisticated attacks targeting Gmail users — and the threat landscape has only intensified since. These aren't the clumsy Nigerian prince scams of a decade ago. Threat actors are now using AI-generated

Carl B. Johnson Jul 13, 2024 6 min read
Computer Virus Prevention

Computer Virus Prevention: 9 Steps That Actually Work

In January 2024, a single employee at a mid-sized accounting firm double-clicked a file named Invoice_Final_v2.exe. Within 40 minutes, the LockBit ransomware variant had encrypted 14,000 files across three networked drives. The ransom demand was $2.2 million. The firm's antivirus was installed. It

Carl B. Johnson Jul 13, 2024 6 min read