Tag

Credential Theft Prevention

Addresses the tactics attackers use to steal login credentials and the countermeasures organizations can deploy. Topics include multi-factor authentication, credential monitoring, dark web surveillance, secure authentication protocols, and employee awareness training.

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Social Engineering Examples

Social Engineering Examples That Fool Even Experts

The Phone Call That Cost MGM Resorts $100 Million In September 2023, a threat actor called MGM Resorts' IT help desk, impersonated an employee they found on LinkedIn, and convinced the technician to reset credentials. That single phone call triggered a ransomware attack that disrupted operations across Las Vegas

Carl B. Johnson Apr 04, 2026 5 min read
Phishing Email Detection

How to Recognize a Phishing Email Before You Click

In March 2024, a finance director at a mid-size manufacturer in Ohio wired $2.3 million to a threat actor who impersonated the company's CEO — all because of a single phishing email. The message looked perfect: right logo, right tone, right email signature. It even referenced an actual

Carl B. Johnson Apr 04, 2026 5 min read
Phishing Training for Employees

Phishing Training for Employees: What Actually Works

The Click That Cost One Company $47 Million In 2023, MGM Resorts was brought to its knees — not by a sophisticated zero-day exploit, but by a social engineering phone call that led to credential theft and a devastating ransomware attack. The estimated cost exceeded $100 million. The attack vector? A

Carl B. Johnson Apr 02, 2026 5 min read
Insider Threat Awareness

Insider Threat Awareness: What Most Companies Miss

In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice charged a former Google engineer with stealing proprietary AI trade secrets while secretly working for two China-based companies. He had access for years. He passed background checks. He was a trusted employee. And that's exactly the point — the most

Carl B. Johnson Mar 31, 2026 5 min read
Password Manager Benefits

Password Manager Benefits That Stop 80% of Breaches

One Reused Password Cost This Company $4.6 Billion In 2017, a single set of reused credentials let threat actors walk into Equifax's systems and expose 147 million records. The total cost exceeded $4.6 billion when you factor in the FTC settlement, lawsuits, and remediation. One password.

Carl B. Johnson Mar 29, 2026 5 min read
Phishing Awareness

How to Spot a Phishing Email Before It Costs You

In July 2021, a single phishing email gave attackers access to an employee's credentials at a Florida managed service provider, which cascaded into the massive Kaseya VSA ransomware attack affecting up to 1,500 businesses worldwide. One click. One employee who didn't know how to spot

Carl B. Johnson Aug 31, 2021 8 min read
Phish Setlist

Phish Setlist for Security: Building Your Attack Plan

Every Great Attack Starts With a Setlist In July 2021, a single phishing email gave a threat actor access to credentials at a Florida IT management firm, triggering the Kaseya VSA ransomware attack that cascaded to over 1,500 businesses worldwide. One click. One employee. One email that someone didn&

Carl B. Johnson Aug 31, 2021 7 min read
Spoofing

What Is Spoofing? The Attack Behind Most Breaches

In July 2020, attackers spoofed internal Twitter tools to hijack 130 high-profile accounts — including Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Apple — and ran a Bitcoin scam that netted over $100,000 in hours. The attack didn't rely on some exotic zero-day exploit. It relied on spoofing: making something fake

Carl B. Johnson Aug 08, 2021 7 min read
AI Phishing Attacks

Gmail Users Warned About Sophisticated AI-Driven Phishing

Last month, a finance director at a mid-sized logistics company received a Gmail message that looked exactly like a Google Workspace security alert. The branding was pixel-perfect. The language was flawless. The sender address passed a casual glance test. She clicked, entered her credentials, and within 90 minutes a threat

Carl B. Johnson Jul 29, 2021 7 min read