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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 Awareness

How to Spot a Phishing Email Before It Costs You

In July 2021, a single phishing email gave attackers access to an employee's credentials at a Florida managed service provider, which cascaded into the massive Kaseya VSA ransomware attack affecting up to 1,500 businesses worldwide. One click. One employee who didn't know how to spot

Carl B. Johnson Aug 31, 2021 8 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? The Attack Behind 36% of Breaches

In March 2021, a massive phishing campaign impersonating Microsoft Office 365 hit over 10,000 mailboxes across the financial services sector in a single week. The emails were nearly flawless — correct logos, legitimate-looking sender domains, and urgent language about password expiration. Dozens of employees handed over their credentials before anyone

Carl B. Johnson Aug 31, 2021 7 min read
Medusa Ransomware

Medusa Ransomware Gang Phishing Campaigns Explained

A Ransomware Group That Starts With Your Inbox In June 2021, a mid-sized manufacturer discovered every file server in their environment encrypted. The ransom note was signed "Medusa." The entry point? A single phishing email that harvested an employee's VPN credentials. The Medusa ransomware gang phishing

Carl B. Johnson Aug 31, 2021 7 min read
Fake Email

Fake Email: How to Spot, Stop, and Survive One

A Single Fake Email Cost Facebook and Google $120 Million Between 2013 and 2015, a Lithuanian man named Evaldas Rimasauskas sent a series of fake email messages to employees at Facebook and Google. He impersonated a legitimate hardware vendor, complete with forged invoices and contracts. By the time both companies

Carl B. Johnson Aug 31, 2021 7 min read
Phishing

Phishing: Why 36% of Breaches Start in Your Inbox

The Inbox Is the Front Door — And It's Wide Open According to the 2021 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, phishing is involved in 36% of all confirmed data breaches. That number jumped 11 percentage points from the year before. Let that sink in — more than a third of

Carl B. Johnson Aug 31, 2021 7 min read
Phish Setlist

Phish Setlist for Security: Building Your Attack Plan

Every Great Attack Starts With a Setlist In July 2021, a single phishing email gave a threat actor access to credentials at a Florida IT management firm, triggering the Kaseya VSA ransomware attack that cascaded to over 1,500 businesses worldwide. One click. One employee. One email that someone didn&

Carl B. Johnson Aug 31, 2021 7 min read
Phish Tour

Phish Tour: Simulate Real Attacks Before Hackers Do

One Click Cost Colonial Pipeline $4.4 Million In May 2021, a single compromised credential shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Colonial Pipeline paid a $4.4 million ransom to a threat actor group called DarkSide. The entry point wasn't some exotic zero-day exploit.

Carl B. Johnson Aug 25, 2021 7 min read
Phishing Definition

Phishing Definition: What It Really Means in 2021

In March 2021, a single phishing email led to a credential theft incident at a European banking authority that exposed personal data from thousands of email accounts. The attack wasn't sophisticated. It didn't exploit some exotic zero-day vulnerability. It started with a convincing email and a

Carl B. Johnson Aug 25, 2021 7 min read
AI Phishing Attacks

FBI Warns Gmail Users: AI-Driven Phishing Attacks Rise

Earlier this year, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported that phishing schemes were the most reported cybercrime in 2020, with 241,342 complaints and adjusted losses exceeding $54 million. Now the threat is evolving fast. The FBI warns Gmail users of sophisticated AI-driven phishing attacks that

Carl B. Johnson Aug 24, 2021 7 min read