Computer Security US Blog

Computer Security News and Insights

Vishing Scam Awareness

Vishing Scam Awareness: Stop Voice Phishing Now

A Single Phone Call Cost MGM Resorts $100 Million In September 2023, a threat actor called MGM Resorts' IT help desk, impersonated an employee found on LinkedIn, and convinced a technician to reset credentials. That one vishing call triggered a ransomware attack that shut down slot machines, hotel key

Carl B. Johnson Aug 18, 2026 5 min read
Spear Phishing

Spear Phishing: Why Targeted Attacks Beat Defenses

In 2023, MGM Resorts lost roughly $100 million after a threat actor called Scattered Spider impersonated an employee on a help desk call — a textbook spear phishing technique that bypassed every technical control the company had. The attacker didn't blast out a million generic emails. They researched one

Carl B. Johnson Aug 17, 2026 5 min read
Stolen Credentials Dark Web

Stolen Credentials Dark Web: How Your Logins Get Sold

In 2024, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported that compromised credentials were a factor in a staggering number of the complaints they received, driving billions of dollars in losses. I've personally worked incident response cases where a single set of stolen credentials — purchased on

Carl B. Johnson Aug 17, 2026 5 min read
Fake Identity Website

Fake Identity Website Scams: How to Spot Them Fast

A Single Fake Identity Website Fueled a $10 Million Fraud Ring In 2023, the FBI dismantled an identity fraud operation that relied heavily on fake identity websites — convincing portals designed to harvest personal data from unsuspecting victims. The ring used stolen credentials to open bank accounts, file fraudulent tax returns,

Carl B. Johnson Aug 17, 2026 5 min read
Cost of a Data Breach 2026

Cost of a Data Breach 2026: What the Numbers Mean

The Bill Nobody Plans For IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report pegged the global average at $4.88 million — a 10% jump from the prior year and the highest figure ever recorded. That number has only continued climbing. When I talk to business owners about the

Carl B. Johnson Aug 16, 2026 5 min read
Data Breach Examples 2026

Data Breach Examples 2026: Lessons from Real Attacks

We're barely halfway through 2026, and the breach disclosures are already stacking up at a pace that should alarm every executive, IT director, and business owner reading this. If you're searching for data breach examples 2026, you're probably trying to figure out what'

Carl B. Johnson Aug 16, 2026 5 min read
computer security

Computer Security in 2026: What Actually Works

In 2023, MGM Resorts lost roughly $100 million after a social engineering phone call — a single conversation — gave threat actors the foothold they needed to deploy ransomware across the entire enterprise. That incident didn't start with a zero-day exploit or some nation-state weapon. It started with a help

Carl B. Johnson Aug 15, 2026 5 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? A Security Pro's Real-World Guide

A Single Email Cost This Company $100 Million In 2019, Toyota Boshoku Corporation lost $37 million to a single business email compromise attack. A threat actor impersonated a senior executive and convinced a finance employee to change wire transfer details. The money vanished. That's phishing — not some abstract

Carl B. Johnson Aug 15, 2026 5 min read
Ransomware

What Is Ransomware? A Security Pro's Real-World Guide

A Single Click Cost One Hospital Chain $100 Million In 2020, Universal Health Services — a Fortune 500 hospital operator — got hit by the Ryuk ransomware strain. The result: 400 facilities knocked offline, staff reverting to pen and paper, and an estimated $67 million in direct costs plus ongoing damages that

Carl B. Johnson Aug 15, 2026 5 min read