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Security Awareness

Develop a strong security mindset with articles focused on security awareness principles, social engineering defense, safe browsing habits, password hygiene, and recognizing manipulation tactics used by attackers targeting human vulnerabilities.

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Data Breach Response Plan

Data Breach Response Plan: What Actually Works in 2024

When MGM Resorts got hit in September 2023, the chaos lasted ten days. Hotel room keys stopped working. Slot machines went dark. Reservation systems crashed. The estimated cost topped $100 million. And here's the part that stings — the initial compromise reportedly started with a social engineering call to

Carl B. Johnson Jan 22, 2024 8 min read
Data Breach Reporting

How to Report a Data Breach: A Step-by-Step Guide

In September 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a social engineering attack compromised its systems. But the financial damage from the breach itself was only part of the story. The chaos that followed — delayed notifications, regulatory scrutiny, class-action lawsuits — showed exactly what happens when an organization fumbles

Carl B. Johnson Jan 22, 2024 7 min read
Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication Setup: A Practical Guide

In September 2023, MGM Resorts lost an estimated $100 million after a threat actor bypassed their security by socially engineering a helpdesk employee into resetting MFA credentials. Let that sink in. The company had multi-factor authentication. It still wasn't enough — because the multi-factor authentication setup and the processes

Carl B. Johnson Jan 20, 2024 7 min read
Password Hygiene Tips

Password Hygiene Tips That Actually Stop Breaches

The 23andMe Breach Started With Recycled Passwords In October 2023, genetic testing company 23andMe confirmed that attackers accessed roughly 6.9 million user profiles. The method wasn't some exotic zero-day exploit. It was credential stuffing — threat actors took username and password combinations leaked from other breaches and simply

Carl B. Johnson Jan 20, 2024 7 min read
Incident Response Plan Template

Incident Response Plan Template: Build Yours Today

In September 2023, MGM Resorts watched helplessly as a social engineering attack — reportedly initiated through a phone call to their help desk — cascaded into a full-blown operational shutdown. Slot machines went dark. Hotel room keys stopped working. The estimated cost exceeded $100 million. MGM had cybersecurity tools. What they lacked

Carl B. Johnson Dec 11, 2023 7 min read
Incident Response

How to Respond to a Cyberattack: A Step-by-Step Guide

In September 2023, MGM Resorts International watched helplessly as a single social engineering phone call spiraled into a cyberattack that cost the company over $100 million. Slot machines went dark. Hotel room keys stopped working. Reservations collapsed. And it all started because a threat actor called the help desk and

Carl B. Johnson Dec 11, 2023 7 min read
Incident Response

Cyber Incident Response Steps: A Practical Playbook

The 37 Minutes That Cost MGM Resorts $100 Million In September 2023, a threat actor called Scattered Spider social-engineered an MGM Resorts help desk employee. Within 37 minutes, they had enough access to cripple one of the world's largest casino and hotel operators. Slot machines went dark. Hotel

Carl B. Johnson Dec 11, 2023 7 min read
Zero Trust

What Is Zero Trust? A Practical Guide for 2024

In January 2023, T-Mobile disclosed that a threat actor had been siphoning data from 37 million customer accounts since November 2022 — through a single exploited API. The attacker moved laterally for weeks without triggering alarms. If you've ever wondered what is zero trust and why the entire industry

Carl B. Johnson Dec 09, 2023 7 min read
Securing Remote Employees

Securing Remote Employees: A Practical 2023 Guide

In August 2023, a single remote employee at a casino and entertainment company fell for a social engineering call. That one mistake gave threat actors the keys to MGM Resorts' entire kingdom — an attack that cost the company over $100 million in damages according to their SEC filing. The

Carl B. Johnson Nov 26, 2023 7 min read