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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The Breach That Started With "Company2024!" In January 2024, a mid-size healthcare company lost 2.3 million patient records. The root cause wasn't a sophisticated zero-day exploit. It wasn't a nation-state threat actor. It was an employee who reused the same password across their
In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that business email compromise — the category that includes fakeemail schemes — caused over $2.9 billion in adjusted losses across roughly 21,489 complaints. That made it the single most financially damaging cybercrime category in the IC3's annual
In 2023, a single reused password gave a threat actor access to 23andMe's credential-stuffing attack that exposed the data of nearly 7 million users. The attacker didn't exploit a zero-day vulnerability or deploy sophisticated malware. They just tried stolen passwords from other breaches — and millions of
In 2023, a single spear phishing email cost MGM Resorts an estimated $100 million in losses. The attacker didn't blast a million inboxes with a generic "Your account has been suspended" message. They researched an employee on LinkedIn, called the IT help desk impersonating that person,
In 2023, a finance employee at a multinational firm in Hong Kong wired $25 million to threat actors after receiving what appeared to be a legitimate video call and email chain from the company's CFO. It was all fake — the video was a deepfake, and the emails were
In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported that phishing — including fake mail delivered via email, text, and voice — was the most reported cybercrime category for the fifth consecutive year, with over 298,000 complaints. And that only accounts for what gets reported. In my experience,
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
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
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
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
