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How Phishing Works

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Phishing Emails

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

In March 2025, a finance director at a mid-sized manufacturing company wired $2.3 million to a bank account in Southeast Asia. The request came from what looked like the CEO's email — same signature, same tone, same thread about an acquisition they'd been discussing for weeks.

Carl B. Johnson Sep 27, 2025 8 min read
Phishing Emails

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

A Single Email Cost This Company $121 Million In 2019, a Lithuanian man was sentenced to five years in prison for phishing Google and Facebook out of over $121 million. His method wasn't a zero-day exploit or cutting-edge malware. It was emails. Carefully crafted, psychologically precise emails that

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

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

A Pipeline Went Dark — Because One Person Clicked On May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline — the largest fuel pipeline in the United States — shut down operations after a ransomware attack. The disruption caused fuel shortages across the southeastern U.S. and triggered panic buying. While the full forensic details are still

Carl B. Johnson May 13, 2021 7 min read