Tag

data breach prevention

Strategies, technologies, and policies for preventing data breaches before they occur. This tag covers access controls, encryption, endpoint protection, incident response planning, vulnerability management, and the human factors that contribute to data exposure in organizations of all sizes.

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phishing meaning

Phishing Meaning: What It Really Is and Why It Works

In January 2024, a finance employee at a multinational firm in Hong Kong transferred $25.6 million to criminals after a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO. Every person on that call was a deepfake. That's where phishing lives now — far beyond

Carl B. Johnson Sep 18, 2024 7 min read
computer security

Computer Security in 2024: What Actually Works Now

In February 2024, Change Healthcare — one of the largest health payment processors in the United States — was hit by a ransomware attack that disrupted pharmacy operations, delayed patient care, and potentially exposed the protected health information of tens of millions of Americans. The root cause? Compromised credentials on a remote

Carl B. Johnson Jul 10, 2024 7 min read
computer security advice

Computer Security Advice That Actually Stops Breaches

The Breach That Started With a Single Reused Password In January 2024, Microsoft disclosed that a Russian state-sponsored threat actor — Midnight Blizzard — breached executive email accounts using a password spray attack against a legacy test account that lacked multi-factor authentication. Microsoft. One of the largest technology companies on Earth. Compromised

Carl B. Johnson May 13, 2024 7 min read
pretexting attacks

Pretexting Attack Examples: Real Scams Costing Millions

In 2023, a finance employee at a multinational firm wired $25 million after a video call with someone they believed was their CFO. It wasn't. The entire call — every face, every voice — was a deepfake fabricated by threat actors who'd spent weeks building a detailed pretext.

Carl B. Johnson Apr 07, 2024 7 min read
cybersecurity training

How to Train Employees on Cybersecurity That Sticks

The Click That Cost MGM Resorts $100 Million In September 2023, a threat actor called Scattered Spider social-engineered an MGM Resorts help desk employee with a simple phone call. That one interaction led to a ransomware attack that shut down slot machines, hotel check-ins, and digital room keys across Las

Carl B. Johnson Feb 28, 2024 7 min read
phishing meaning

Phishing Meaning: What It Really Looks Like in 2022

In March 2022, threat actors used a simple phishing text message to breach Okta through a third-party contractor, Sitel. That single compromised credential gave attackers access to internal systems supporting thousands of Okta's customers. The attack didn't require sophisticated malware or a zero-day exploit. It required

Carl B. Johnson Oct 24, 2022 7 min read
cyber security

Cyber Security in 2022: What's Actually Breaking

In March 2022, Okta confirmed that the Lapsus$ threat actor group had breached a third-party support contractor, potentially affecting hundreds of enterprise customers. A few weeks later, the same group hit Microsoft, Nvidia, and Samsung. These weren't obscure targets — they were companies with massive cyber security budgets, sophisticated

Carl B. Johnson Aug 11, 2022 7 min read
computer security

Computer Security in 2022: What Actually Works Now

In March 2022, Okta confirmed that the Lapsus$ threat actor group had accessed an internal support engineer's laptop, potentially affecting hundreds of downstream customers. A few weeks before that, the same group hit Nvidia, Samsung, and Microsoft. These weren't obscure targets. These were companies with massive

Carl B. Johnson Aug 11, 2022 6 min read
cybersecurity awareness training

Cybersecurity Awareness Training: What Works in 2022

In January 2022, the Red Cross disclosed that a cyberattack compromised the personal data of over 515,000 vulnerable people — victims of conflict, missing persons, detainees. The attack vector? A threat actor exploiting an unpatched vulnerability, combined with social engineering techniques that went undetected for weeks. It's a

Carl B. Johnson Mar 21, 2022 7 min read