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smishing attack examples

Smishing Attack Examples: Real Texts That Steal Data

A Single Text Message Cost One Company $15 Million In 2022, Twilio disclosed that attackers used SMS phishing — smishing — to trick employees into surrendering their credentials. The threat actors sent text messages impersonating the company's IT department, directing staff to a fake login page. That single campaign compromised

Carl B. Johnson Jan 19, 2020 6 min read
Social Engineering Attacks

Social Engineering Attacks: How They Actually Work

The Phone Call That Cost One Company $25 Million In early 2024, an employee at engineering firm Arup joined a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO and several colleagues. Every face on screen was a deepfake. The employee transferred $25 million across multiple transactions

Carl B. Johnson Jan 09, 2020 7 min read
Social Engineering Examples

Social Engineering Examples That Bypass Every Firewall

The Attack That Didn't Need a Single Line of Code In September 2022, an 18-year-old allegedly breached Uber's internal systems. The method wasn't a zero-day exploit or some sophisticated malware. It was a text message. The attacker bombarded an Uber contractor with multi-factor authentication

Carl B. Johnson Jan 09, 2020 7 min read
Social Engineering

How to Spot Social Engineering Before It Costs You

In January 2024, a finance employee at Arup — the engineering firm behind the Sydney Opera House — joined a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO and several colleagues. Every face on the screen was a deepfake. By the time anyone realized what happened, the employee

Carl B. Johnson Jan 09, 2020 7 min read
Pretexting Attacks

Pretexting Attack Examples: Real Scams Costing Millions

In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor called the company's IT help desk, impersonated an employee found on LinkedIn, and convinced a technician to reset credentials. The entire breach started with a phone call and a convincing story. That story — the fabricated

Carl B. Johnson Jan 09, 2020 7 min read
Cybersecurity Training for Employees

Cybersecurity Training for Employees: A 2026 Guide

The Breach That Started With a Single Click In January 2024, a finance department employee at a mid-size manufacturing firm opened what looked like a routine DocuSign notification. Within 72 hours, a threat actor had exfiltrated 1.2 million customer records and deployed ransomware across the company's entire

Carl B. Johnson Dec 14, 2019 7 min read
Cybersecurity Best Practices

Cybersecurity Best Practices for Employees in 2026

One Click Cost This Company $36 Million In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor socially engineered the company's help desk with a single phone call. The attacker impersonated an employee, convinced an IT worker to reset credentials, and from there pivoted through

Carl B. Johnson Dec 14, 2019 7 min read
Cybersecurity Training

How to Train Employees on Cybersecurity in 2026

The Breach That Started With a Single Click In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor social-engineered a help desk employee with a ten-minute phone call. The attacker found an employee on LinkedIn, called the IT service desk, and convinced them to reset credentials. That&

Carl B. Johnson Dec 14, 2019 7 min read