Tag

Phishing Prevention

Delivers actionable advice on recognizing and preventing phishing attacks, including email phishing, spear phishing, smishing, and vishing. Covers detection techniques, employee training approaches, email security tools, and real-world phishing examples to strengthen your defenses.

posts

Cross-Site Scripting

Cross-Site Scripting Explained: A Practical Guide

British Airways Lost $230 Million Because of a Script In 2018, British Airways disclosed a breach that exposed the payment card details of roughly 380,000 customers. The attack vector? A malicious script injected into the airline's payment page — a textbook cross-site scripting exploitation. The UK's

Carl B. Johnson Jan 09, 2023 8 min read
Phishing Simulation

Phish Setlist for Security: Building Your Attack Plan

Why Every Security Team Needs a Phish Setlist In March 2022, Okta confirmed that the Lapsus$ threat actor group breached a third-party support engineer's account — and a big part of that attack chain started with social engineering. A single compromised credential. One phishing message that worked. That'

Carl B. Johnson Nov 21, 2022 7 min read
Phishing Definition

Definition of a Phishing Attack: What It Really Looks Like

In March 2022, the hacking group Lapsus$ breached Okta by phishing a single contractor's credentials. That one successful social engineering attack gave threat actors access to systems used by thousands of companies worldwide. If you're searching for the definition of a phishing attack, that incident is

Carl B. Johnson Oct 24, 2022 7 min read
Computer Virus Prevention

Computer Virus Prevention: 9 Steps That Actually Work

In January 2022, a single employee at a European oil storage company opened what looked like a routine invoice. Within hours, the BlackCat ransomware had encrypted critical systems across multiple terminals, disrupting fuel distribution for days. The virus didn't exploit some exotic zero-day vulnerability. It walked through the

Carl B. Johnson Aug 23, 2022 6 min read
Cybersecurity Tips

Cybersecurity Tips That Actually Stop Breaches in 2022

In March 2022, Okta confirmed that the Lapsus$ threat actor group had accessed an internal support engineer's laptop — and the fallout rippled across the entire identity management industry. The breach didn't start with a sophisticated zero-day exploit. It started with compromised credentials. That single detail tells

Carl B. Johnson Aug 11, 2022 7 min read
Security for System

Security for System Environments: A Practical Guide

In March 2022, Okta confirmed that the Lapsus$ threat actor group had compromised a support engineer's laptop and accessed internal systems for five days before detection. Five days. That's an eternity when an attacker has a foothold inside your environment. The breach highlighted a brutal truth:

Carl B. Johnson Aug 11, 2022 7 min read
What Is Cybersecurity

What Is Cybersecurity? A Practitioner's Real-World Guide

In March 2022, Lapsus$ — a threat actor group made up largely of teenagers — breached Microsoft, Nvidia, Samsung, and Okta in rapid succession. They didn't use sophisticated zero-day exploits. They used social engineering, credential theft, and the kinds of gaps that exist in almost every organization. If you'

Carl B. Johnson Aug 11, 2022 7 min read
IT Security

IT Security in 2022: What Actually Stops Breaches

In March 2022, the Lapsus$ threat actor group breached Okta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Samsung — not by exploiting sophisticated zero-day vulnerabilities, but by buying stolen credentials and socially engineering employees. A teenager-led group dismantled the IT security of some of the most well-resourced technology companies on the planet. If that doesn&

Carl B. Johnson Aug 11, 2022 7 min read
Computer Security Security

Computer Security Security: Layers That Actually Work

In March 2022, Okta confirmed that the Lapsus$ threat actor group had breached a third-party support engineer's laptop and accessed internal systems. The attack didn't exploit some exotic zero-day vulnerability. It started with compromised credentials — a single point of failure in what should have been a

Carl B. Johnson Jul 30, 2022 7 min read
Computer Security Companies

Computer Security Companies: What They Won't Tell You

The Blind Spot That Computer Security Companies Sell Around In March 2022, Okta — one of the most prominent identity management vendors in the world — confirmed that the Lapsus$ threat actor group had compromised a third-party support engineer's laptop and accessed internal systems. An identity security company, breached through

Carl B. Johnson Jul 30, 2022 7 min read