Tag

Network Security

Covers strategies, tools, and best practices for protecting computer networks from unauthorized access, cyberattacks, and data breaches. Topics include firewalls, intrusion detection systems, network segmentation, and monitoring techniques that help organizations maintain secure and resilient infrastructure.

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DNS Spoofing Attack

DNS Spoofing Attack: How Hackers Redirect Your Traffic

Your Employees Typed the Right URL — And Still Got Hacked In April 2022, researchers at Avast documented a campaign where a threat actor compromised home routers and used DNS hijacking to redirect users from legitimate banking sites to pixel-perfect phishing clones. Victims typed the correct URL into their browser. Their

Carl B. Johnson Aug 25, 2026 6 min read
Zero Trust Implementation

Zero Trust Implementation: A Practical Guide for 2026

In January 2024, Microsoft disclosed that a Russian state-sponsored threat actor — the group known as Midnight Blizzard — breached corporate email accounts by exploiting a legacy test tenant that lacked multi-factor authentication. Microsoft. One of the most well-resourced technology companies on the planet. If they can get caught with a gap

Carl B. Johnson Aug 23, 2026 6 min read
Ransomware

How Ransomware Spreads: 6 Attack Vectors in 2026

A Single Email Took Down a $5.8 Billion Pipeline In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down Colonial Pipeline and triggered fuel shortages across the U.S. East Coast. The attack didn't start with some exotic zero-day exploit. It started with a stolen credential and an

Carl B. Johnson Aug 08, 2026 6 min read
Remote Desktop Security Risks

Remote Desktop Security Risks: What Attackers See

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center flagged Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) as one of the top three initial access vectors used in ransomware incidents. That wasn't a surprise to anyone who's worked an incident response engagement. I've personally investigated breaches

Carl B. Johnson Jul 26, 2026 5 min read
Ransomware

How Ransomware Spreads: 6 Attack Vectors in 2026

A Single Email Cost One Hospital Chain $100 Million In 2024, Change Healthcare — a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group — suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted pharmacy operations, insurance claims, and patient care across the United States. The company paid a $22 million ransom. Total damages exceeded $100 million. The initial entry

Carl B. Johnson Jul 25, 2026 5 min read
DNS Spoofing

DNS Spoofing Attack: How Hackers Redirect Your Traffic

A Bank's Customers Were Logging In — Just Not to the Real Bank In 2017, attackers hijacked DNS records for a major Brazilian bank, redirecting all of its online customers to perfectly cloned phishing sites for roughly five hours. Every login, every transaction, every credential — harvested in real time.

Carl B. Johnson Jul 13, 2026 5 min read
Man in the Middle Attack

Man in the Middle Attack: How Hackers Steal Data

In January 2024, security researchers at Checkmarx uncovered a massive man in the middle attack campaign targeting the Python Package Index (PyPI), where threat actors intercepted developer credentials and injected malicious code into software supply chains. The attack went undetected for months. This wasn't some exotic nation-state operation

Carl B. Johnson Jul 05, 2026 6 min read
VPN Best Practices

VPN Best Practices: What Actually Protects You in 2026

In early 2024, Ivanti disclosed critical vulnerabilities in its Connect Secure VPN that were already being actively exploited by threat actors — including nation-state groups. CISA issued an emergency directive ordering federal agencies to disconnect affected devices within 48 hours. If that doesn't make you rethink your VPN best

Carl B. Johnson Jul 05, 2026 5 min read
Zero Trust

What Is Zero Trust? A Practical Guide for 2026

The Breach That Made "Trust" a Dirty Word In 2020, the SolarWinds breach gave threat actors access to the internal networks of at least nine U.S. federal agencies and over 100 private companies. The attackers moved laterally for months — undetected — because once they were inside the network

Carl B. Johnson Jul 03, 2026 5 min read
Zero Trust Network Access

Zero Trust Network Access: A Practical Guide for 2026

The Breach That Proved Firewalls Aren't Enough In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor used social engineering — a single phone call to the help desk — to bypass perimeter defenses and move laterally through internal systems. The attackers didn't need to

Carl B. Johnson Jun 30, 2026 6 min read