Tag

Social Engineering

Learn how attackers use psychological manipulation to trick people into revealing sensitive information or performing unsafe actions. Topics include pretexting, baiting, tailgating, vishing, and real-world social engineering case studies that expose common human vulnerabilities.

posts

Spoofing Caller

Spoofing Caller Attacks: How Criminals Fake Their Way In

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported over 43,000 victims of spoofing-related fraud, with losses exceeding $300 million. That number has only climbed since. And here's the part that should keep you up at night: a spoofing caller doesn't need malware,

Carl B. Johnson Aug 07, 2026 6 min read
Vishing Scam Awareness

Vishing Scam Awareness: Stop Voice Phishing Now

A Single Phone Call Cost One Company $25 Million In early 2024, a finance worker at engineering firm Arup was tricked into wiring $25 million after a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO — deepfake technology made the voice and face indistinguishable from the real

Carl B. Johnson Aug 04, 2026 6 min read
Email Phishing Red Flags

Email Phishing Red Flags: 9 Signs You're Being Targeted

The Email That Cost One Company $37 Million In 2024, a single phishing email led to a business email compromise attack against Orion SA, a Luxembourg-based metals trading company, resulting in a $60 million wire transfer to threat actor-controlled accounts. The company later recovered roughly $23 million. The email looked

Carl B. Johnson Jul 31, 2026 5 min read
Phishing Definition

Phishing Definition: What It Really Means in 2026

In 2024, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 298,000 phishing complaints — making it the most reported cybercrime category for the fifth consecutive year. Despite billions spent on cybersecurity tools, a single deceptive email still opens the door to catastrophic breaches. If you've ever

Carl B. Johnson Jul 30, 2026 5 min read
Vishing Scam Awareness

Vishing Scam Awareness: Stop Voice Phishing Cold

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received over 298,000 complaints related to phishing and its variants — including vishing — resulting in losses exceeding $18.7 billion across all reported cybercrime categories. Voice phishing, or vishing, is one of the fastest-growing attack vectors because it bypasses

Carl B. Johnson Jul 30, 2026 5 min read
Phishing

What Is a Phishing Attack? A Security Pro Explains

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 298,000 phishing complaints — making it the most reported cybercrime category for the fifth consecutive year. I've investigated dozens of breaches that started with a single deceptive email. So when someone asks me what is a

Carl B. Johnson Jul 29, 2026 6 min read
Phishing Scams

Phishing Scams: What Actually Works to Stop Them

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 298,000 complaints about phishing scams — making it the most reported cybercrime category for the fifth consecutive year. The real number is almost certainly higher, because most incidents never get reported. I've spent years helping organizations

Carl B. Johnson Jul 29, 2026 5 min read