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Cybersecurity Basics

Foundational cybersecurity knowledge for beginners and anyone looking to strengthen core security habits. Posts cover essential topics like strong password creation, software updates, recognizing social engineering attacks, securing home networks, and understanding common threat types.

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Define Cyber

Define Cyber: What It Really Means in 2026

In February 2024, Change Healthcare suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted pharmacy operations across the entire United States for weeks. UnitedHealth Group eventually disclosed the breach may have affected up to 100 million individuals. If you still think the word "cyber" is just a vague buzzword tossed around

Carl B. Johnson Jun 21, 2026 5 min read
Cyber Hygiene

Cyber Hygiene Definition: What It Means and Why It Matters

In 2024, the average cost of a data breach hit $4.88 million globally, according to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report. The root cause in most cases wasn't some exotic zero-day exploit. It was the basics — unpatched systems, reused passwords, employees clicking phishing links.

Carl B. Johnson Jun 16, 2026 5 min read
Phishing Attacks

What Is a Phishing Attack? A Real-World Breakdown

A Single Email Cost This Company $100 Million In 2019, Toyota Boshoku Corporation — a major Toyota parts supplier — lost $37 million after employees wired funds to accounts controlled by attackers who impersonated a business partner via email. Facebook and Google collectively lost over $100 million to a Lithuanian man who

Carl B. Johnson Jun 15, 2026 6 min read
Cybersecurity Definition

Cybersecurity Definition: What It Really Means in 2026

In 2023, MGM Resorts lost roughly $100 million after a social engineering phone call — a single phone call — gave threat actors the foothold they needed to deploy ransomware across the company's entire infrastructure. If you Google "cybersecurity definition," you'll get a tidy textbook answer

Carl B. Johnson Jun 04, 2026 5 min read
Phishing Definition

Phishing Definition: What It Really Means in 2026

In 2024, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 298,000 phishing complaints — making it the most reported cybercrime category for the fifth consecutive year. That number almost certainly undercounts reality. Most phishing attacks never get reported. If you've landed here searching for a phishing

Carl B. Johnson May 12, 2026 5 min read
What Is Cybersecurity

What Is Cybersecurity? A Practitioner's Real-World Guide

In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor called Scattered Spider social-engineered their way past the help desk with a ten-minute phone call. That single conversation gave attackers the keys to slot machines, hotel room systems, and customer data across an entire casino empire. If

Carl B. Johnson Apr 30, 2026 5 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? The Attack Behind 80% of Breaches

In 2023, a single phishing email gave threat actors access to MGM Resorts' entire IT infrastructure. The attackers impersonated an employee on a help desk call — a technique they refined through information harvested from a phishing campaign. The result was over $100 million in losses and days of operational

Carl B. Johnson Apr 16, 2026 5 min read