Computer Security News and Insights
In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 298,000 phishing complaints — making it the most reported cybercrime for the fifth consecutive year. Despite billions spent on security technology, a single deceptive email still remains the most reliable way for a threat actor to breach an
During a breach investigation last year, I watched a small business owner stare blankly at the incident report. "What's lateral movement? What's a C2 server? What does exfiltration even mean?" He wasn't unintelligent — he just didn't speak the language. And
A Single Email Cost This Company $37 Million In 2016, FACC, an Austrian aerospace parts manufacturer, lost €42 million (roughly $47 million at the time) after attackers impersonated the CEO and convinced a finance employee to wire funds to accounts controlled by threat actors. The employee believed they were following
One Click Cost MGM Resorts Over $100 Million In September 2023, a social engineering attack against MGM Resorts International shut down slot machines, hotel key cards, and reservation systems across Las Vegas. The threat actors didn't exploit a zero-day vulnerability. They called the help desk, impersonated an employee,
The $20 Million Breach That Started on a Home Wi-Fi Network In 2024, a healthcare company disclosed a breach that exposed 11 million patient records. The root cause? A remote employee connected to an unsecured home network, clicked a phishing link, and handed over VPN credentials to a threat actor.
Your Employees Are Eating Phish Food Every Day In March 2024, MGM Resorts was still tallying the damage from a social engineering attack that started with a single phone call. The estimated cost exceeded $100 million. The threat actor didn't exploit a zero-day vulnerability or deploy some exotic
In 2019, a former employee of Capital One walked into an AWS cloud environment — digitally, not physically — but the breach that exposed over 100 million records started with exploiting trust and access. That same principle of exploiting trust is exactly how a tailgating attack in cybersecurity works in the physical
In November 2023, the international law firm Allen & Overy confirmed it was hit by a LockBit ransomware attack that disrupted internal systems and exposed sensitive data. They weren't alone. The American Bar Association disclosed a data breach that same year affecting 1.4 million members. If you
In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a social engineering attack that started with a single phone call to a help desk. The attackers didn't exploit some exotic zero-day vulnerability. They used techniques that anyone familiar with basic cybersecurity terminology would recognize — vishing, credential theft,
In 2023, a finance employee at a multinational firm wired $25 million after receiving what appeared to be emails from the company's CFO. The messages were convincing, urgent, and completely fabricated. The attacker used a fake mailer — a tool designed to forge the "From" field in
