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Ransomware Protection

Understand how ransomware attacks work and what steps you can take to prevent, detect, and recover from them. Our ransomware protection articles cover backup strategies, network segmentation, incident response planning, and the latest defenses against evolving ransomware variants.

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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
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 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
Cyber Security

Cyber Security Basics That Stop 90% of Attacks

The Breach That Started With a Single Password In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down the Colonial Pipeline and triggered fuel shortages across the Eastern United States. The attackers used a stolen VPN credential — no multi-factor authentication, no zero trust architecture, just one reused password. That's

Carl B. Johnson Jul 30, 2022 6 min read
Home Computer Security

How Can You Protect Your Home Computer in 2022

In March 2022, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that Americans lost over $6.9 billion to cybercrime in 2021 — a 64% increase from the year before. A staggering number of those victims weren't Fortune 500 companies. They were regular people, sitting at home computers,

Carl B. Johnson Jul 30, 2022 7 min read
Cyber Security Definition

Cyber Security Definition: What It Really Means in 2022

Costa Rica declared a national emergency in May 2022 after the Conti ransomware gang crippled 27 government institutions. Tax systems went offline. Foreign trade ground to a halt. An entire country — not just a company — was brought to its knees by a cyberattack. If you think the cyber security definition

Carl B. Johnson Jun 27, 2022 7 min read
Ransomware Prevention

How to Prevent Ransomware: A Practical Defense Guide

The Colonial Pipeline Attack Changed Everything In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Colonial Pipeline paid DarkSide operators $4.4 million in Bitcoin — and even after paying, it took days to restore operations. Fuel shortages hit the East Coast. Panic

Carl B. Johnson Mar 21, 2022 7 min read
Ransomware Protection

Ransomware Protection Tips That Actually Work in 2022

Colonial Pipeline paid $4.4 million in ransom in May 2021. Within months, JBS Foods handed over $11 million. Kaseya's supply chain attack hit over 1,500 businesses in a single weekend. And those are just the ones that made headlines. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint

Carl B. Johnson Mar 18, 2022 7 min read