Tag

Phishing

Explore in-depth articles about phishing attacks, including email phishing, spear phishing, smishing, and vishing. Learn how attackers craft deceptive messages, steal credentials, and compromise systems — and discover proven strategies to detect and block these threats.

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Social Engineering Examples

Social Engineering Examples: Real Attacks That Worked

In July 2020, a 17-year-old from Florida convinced Twitter employees to hand over internal credentials. Within hours, the accounts of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Joe Biden, and Apple were all posting Bitcoin scam messages. The attacker didn't exploit a software vulnerability. He exploited people. These social engineering examples

Carl B. Johnson Apr 12, 2021 6 min read
Ransomware

What Is Ransomware? A Practical Defense Guide for 2021

In February 2021, Kia Motors America was hit with a ransomware attack reportedly demanding $20 million in Bitcoin. Customers couldn't access dealer portals. Internal systems went dark. The company spent days scrambling to restore operations. This wasn't an isolated event — it was the latest in a

Carl B. Johnson Mar 31, 2021 6 min read
Ransomware

How Ransomware Spreads: 5 Attack Vectors You Must Block

A Single Click Cost One Hospital $67 Million In September 2020, Universal Health Services — one of the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. — got hit by the Ryuk ransomware strain. The attack shut down systems across 400 facilities. Patients were diverted. Records went analog. The final damage? An estimated

Carl B. Johnson Mar 12, 2021 7 min read
Data Breach

What Causes a Data Breach: 7 Real Threats in 2021

In July 2020, Twitter disclosed that attackers had compromised 130 high-profile accounts — including those of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Apple — through a social engineering attack targeting employees with access to internal tools. The breach didn't involve some exotic zero-day exploit. It started with phone calls to Twitter

Carl B. Johnson Jan 20, 2021 7 min read
Incident Response

How to Respond to a Cyberattack: A Practical Guide

In July 2020, Garmin went dark. Their fitness trackers, aviation navigation tools, and customer support systems all went offline simultaneously. A ransomware attack attributed to the WastedLocker strain reportedly crippled the company for days. If you're wondering how to respond to a cyberattack, Garmin's very public

Carl B. Johnson Dec 20, 2020 7 min read
Cyber Incident Reporting

How to Report a Cyber Incident: A Step-by-Step Guide

In July 2020, Twitter suffered one of the most visible cyber incidents of the year — a coordinated social engineering attack that compromised high-profile accounts including Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Apple. The attackers walked away with over $100,000 in Bitcoin. But what stood out to me wasn't

Carl B. Johnson Dec 20, 2020 7 min read
Cybersecurity Glossary

Cybersecurity Glossary for Beginners: 40+ Terms

When the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack shut down fuel distribution across the U.S. East Coast in 2021, news anchors stumbled over terms like "ransomware," "threat actor," and "zero trust." Millions of people realized they didn't have the vocabulary to understand the

Carl B. Johnson May 11, 2020 8 min read
Cybersecurity Terms Explained

Cybersecurity Terms Explained: A Practical Guide

When the Colonial Pipeline attack shut down fuel distribution across the Eastern United States in 2021, news anchors stumbled over words like "ransomware," "threat actor," and "zero trust." Millions of people realized they didn't speak the language of cybersecurity — and that ignorance

Carl B. Johnson May 08, 2020 7 min read