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Security Awareness Training

Discover resources and strategies for building effective security awareness training programs. Posts cover curriculum design, engagement techniques, compliance requirements, and methods for measuring training impact to reduce human-related security incidents across organizations.

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Phishing Definition

Phishing Definition: What It Really Means in 2026

In May 2025, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that phishing was — for the ninth consecutive year — the most-reported cybercrime category, with over 300,000 complaints in a single year. That number only counts the people who bothered to report it. The real volume is staggering. Yet

Carl B. Johnson Jan 17, 2026 7 min read
Spear Phishing

Spear Phishing: Why Targeted Attacks Beat Your Defenses

In September 2023, MGM Resorts lost roughly $100 million after a threat actor called Scattered Spider used a spear phishing voice call — a single, well-researched phone call to the company's IT help desk — to compromise the entire organization. The attacker already knew the target employee's name,

Carl B. Johnson Jan 17, 2026 8 min read
AI Phishing Attacks

FBI Warns Gmail Users of AI-Driven Phishing Attacks

In May 2025, the FBI issued a stark warning: sophisticated AI-driven phishing attacks are now targeting Gmail's 2.5 billion users with emails so convincing that even seasoned IT professionals are getting fooled. The FBI warns Gmail users of sophisticated AI-driven phishing attacks that leverage generative AI to

Carl B. Johnson Dec 27, 2025 7 min read
Gmail Phishing Attacks

Gmail Sophisticated Attacks: FBI Phishing Warnings for 2025

The FBI Didn't Issue Gmail Warnings for Fun In late 2024, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) flagged a sharp escalation in sophisticated phishing attacks targeting Gmail users — attacks so convincing that even security-savvy professionals were getting fooled. By mid-2025, the bureau doubled down, warning

Carl B. Johnson Dec 27, 2025 7 min read
Phishing

Phishing Attacks in 2025: What Actually Works to Stop Them

In January 2025, a finance employee at a multinational firm in Hong Kong wired $25 million to threat actors after a deepfake video call convinced him his CFO had authorized the transfer. The attack started the same way almost all of them do — with a phishing email. If you'

Carl B. Johnson Dec 27, 2025 7 min read
Vishing

FBI Warning on Vishing and Smishing: What to Do Now

The Phone Call That Cost One Company $23 Million In early 2024, a finance worker at engineering firm Arup was tricked into wiring $25 million to threat actors after a deepfake video call that impersonated senior leadership. That incident made headlines worldwide. But for every deepfake video heist, there are

Carl B. Johnson Dec 27, 2025 7 min read
Phishing Scams

What Is a Phishing Scam? A Real-World Guide for 2025

In January 2024, a finance employee at British engineering firm Arup transferred $25 million to threat actors after joining a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO and other colleagues — all of them deepfake recreations. The attack started the way most do: with a phishing

Carl B. Johnson Dec 27, 2025 7 min read
Phishing Awareness

How to Spot Phishing Emails: 9 Red Flags to Catch Now

The Email That Cost MGM Resorts $100 Million In September 2023, a single social engineering attack — starting with a phone call but rooted in the same deception principles as phishing emails — led to a breach at MGM Resorts that cost the company over $100 million. The threat actors behind the

Carl B. Johnson Dec 13, 2025 7 min read
Phish Food

Phish Food: What Makes Employees Easy Targets

Your Employees Are Phish Food — And Threat Actors Know It In March 2025, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its 2024 annual report showing over $16 billion in reported cybercrime losses — the highest figure ever recorded. Phishing and its variants topped the list of complaint types

Carl B. Johnson Dec 13, 2025 7 min read