Tag

Data Breach Prevention

Explores strategies and best practices for preventing data breaches in organizations of all sizes. Covers topics like access controls, encryption, network monitoring, incident response planning, and employee awareness to help reduce the risk of unauthorized data exposure.

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Cybersecurity Definition

Cybersecurity Definition: What It Actually Means in 2022

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&

Carl B. Johnson Jun 20, 2022 6 min read
Cloud Computing Security

Cloud Computing Security: What Goes Wrong and How to Fix It

In April 2022, researchers at Palo Alto Unit 42 reported that nearly 99% of cloud user accounts, services, and resources grant excessive permissions — permissions that are granted but never used. That gap between what's allowed and what's needed is exactly where threat actors operate. If you&

Carl B. Johnson Jun 20, 2022 6 min read
Define Cyber

Define Cyber: What It Really Means for Your Security

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

Carl B. Johnson Jun 20, 2022 6 min read
NIST Standards

NIST Standards: A Practical Guide to Real Security

In March 2022, the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report team released preliminary findings showing that 82% of breaches involved the human element — phishing, stolen credentials, and social engineering. Meanwhile, most organizations I work with still treat NIST standards like a dusty compliance checkbox rather than what they actually are: a

Carl B. Johnson Jun 20, 2022 7 min read
Security in Cloud Computing

Security in Cloud Computing: What Actually Goes Wrong

In April 2022, researchers at Wiz discovered that Microsoft Azure's PostgreSQL Flexible Server had vulnerabilities allowing cross-account database access. They called it ExtraReplica, and it affected thousands of Azure databases. This wasn't a theoretical exercise — it was a real demonstration that security in cloud computing remains

Carl B. Johnson May 26, 2022 7 min read
Phishing Awareness Training

Phishing Awareness Training: Why 82% of Breaches Start Here

The 2022 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report landed last month, and one number should keep every business owner awake at night: 82% of breaches involved the human element. Phishing, stolen credentials, pretexting, human error — threat actors aren't picking locks. They're asking your employees to hold the

Carl B. Johnson May 26, 2022 7 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? A Security Pro's Field Guide

In March 2022, Okta confirmed that the Lapsus$ threat actor group had compromised a support engineer's laptop — and the initial access vector was social engineering. A single employee interaction opened the door to a breach that rattled hundreds of downstream customers. If you're asking what is

Carl B. Johnson May 25, 2022 7 min read
Phishing Simulation Training

Phishing Simulation Training: Why 90% of Breaches Start Here

A Single Click Cost One County $1.3 Million In March 2022, Bernalillo County, New Mexico was still recovering from a ransomware attack that started with what investigators believe was a phishing email. The county had to close government buildings, delay jail proceedings, and shut down key services. The remediation

Carl B. Johnson May 25, 2022 7 min read
Phishing Prevention Tips

Phishing Prevention Tips That Actually Stop Attacks

The Phishing Email That Cost Ubiquiti $46.7 Million In 2015, networking giant Ubiquiti Networks disclosed that attackers used carefully crafted phishing emails to trick finance department employees into wiring $46.7 million to overseas accounts controlled by threat actors. The emails impersonated executives. They looked legitimate. And trained professionals

Carl B. Johnson May 25, 2022 7 min read
Phishing Prevention

How to Avoid Phishing Attacks: A Practical Guide

In March 2022, the threat actor group Lapsus$ breached Okta by compromising a single employee's credentials through a social engineering attack. One phished account. That's all it took to put thousands of downstream customers at risk. If you're wondering how to avoid phishing attacks,

Carl B. Johnson May 25, 2022 8 min read