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.
posts
In March 2024, a ransomware attack on Change Healthcare — one of the largest health payment processors in the U.S. — disrupted claims processing for pharmacies and hospitals nationwide. Patients couldn't fill prescriptions. Providers couldn't get paid. A single breach paralyzed a massive chunk of American healthcare
The Word Everyone Uses But Few Can Explain In March 2024, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its 2023 annual report showing $12.5 billion in reported cybercrime losses — a 22% jump from the year before. Politicians, news anchors, and boardroom executives all toss around the
In March 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that Americans lost over $10.3 billion to cybercrime in 2022 — a 49% jump from 2021. The vast majority of those losses traced back to failures in basic security practices. Not zero-day exploits. Not nation-state attacks. Basic, preventable
A hospital employee clicked a link in what looked like a routine password reset email. Within 72 hours, CommonSpirit Health — one of the largest U.S. health systems — was battling a ransomware attack that disrupted operations at over 140 facilities. The investigation report cited "lack of basic security awareness&
In March 2022, the hacking group Lapsus$ breached Okta by phishing a single contractor's credentials. That one successful social engineering attack gave threat actors access to systems used by thousands of companies worldwide. If you're searching for the definition of a phishing attack, that incident is
In March 2022, a single employee at Okta clicked a link in what appeared to be a routine IT notification. That one click gave the Lapsus$ threat actor group access to internal systems, ultimately affecting roughly 2.5% of Okta's customer base — hundreds of organizations. The attack didn&
In March 2022, Lapsus$ — a threat actor group made up largely of teenagers — breached Microsoft, Nvidia, Samsung, and Okta in rapid succession. They didn't use sophisticated zero-day exploits. They used social engineering, credential theft, and the kinds of gaps that exist in almost every organization. If you'
Costa Rica declared a national emergency in May 2022 after the Conti ransomware gang crippled 27 government institutions. Tax systems went offline. Foreign trade ground to a halt. An entire country — not just a company — was brought to its knees by a cyberattack. If you think the cyber security definition
In March 2022, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that Americans lost over $6.9 billion to cybercrime in 2021 — a 64% jump from the year before. That number makes the standard cybersecurity definition you'll find in a textbook feel almost dangerously quaint. If you&
In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down Colonial Pipeline — the largest fuel pipeline in the United States — for six days. The company paid a $4.4 million ransom. Flights were disrupted. Gas stations ran dry across the Southeast. All because one set of credentials was exposed on the
