Phishing awareness articles teach readers to identify and avoid phishing attacks across email, SMS, voice calls, and social media. Content includes real-world phishing examples, red flags to watch for, reporting procedures, and tips for running phishing simulation campaigns.
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The Email That Cost One 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. He sent fake invoices from a spoofed vendor email address. Employees at two of the most technically sophisticated companies on
In 2023, a single spear phishing email cost MGM Resorts an estimated $100 million in losses and recovery. The attacker didn't blast out a million generic messages — they researched one employee, crafted one convincing message, and made one phone call to the help desk. That's the
In March 2024, a finance employee at a UK-based engineering firm wired $25 million to threat actors after a deepfake video call. The attackers had spoofed the company's CFO — but the entire attack chain started with a single phishing email. That first message contained at least four classic
The Phone Call That Cost One Company $25 Million In early 2024, an employee at engineering firm Arup joined a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO and several colleagues. Every face on screen was a deepfake. The employee transferred $25 million across multiple transactions
In January 2024, a finance employee at Arup — the engineering firm behind the Sydney Opera House — joined a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO and several colleagues. Every face on the screen was a deepfake. By the time anyone realized what happened, the employee
In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor called the company's IT help desk, impersonated an employee found on LinkedIn, and convinced a technician to reset credentials. The entire breach started with a phone call and a convincing story. That story — the fabricated
One Click Cost This Company $36 Million In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor socially engineered the company's help desk with a single phone call. The attacker impersonated an employee, convinced an IT worker to reset credentials, and from there pivoted through
In 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor social-engineered a help desk employee with a ten-minute phone call. The attacker didn't exploit a zero-day vulnerability. They didn't write custom malware. They called IT support, impersonated an employee found on LinkedIn, and
The Breach Already Happened — Now What? In March 2023, Latitude Financial discovered a threat actor had accessed 14 million customer records — driver's license numbers, passport copies, financial statements. Their initial disclosure said 328,000 records. Within weeks, that number ballooned to 14 million. The company didn't
Your Home Office Is Now the Weakest Link In 2023, a single remote employee at MGM Resorts answered a social engineering call that led to a ransomware attack costing the company over $100 million in losses. The attacker didn't breach a firewall. They didn't exploit a
