Tag

What Is Phishing

Foundational articles explaining what phishing is, how it evolved, and why it remains one of the most prevalent cyber threats today. Covers the various forms of phishing, common targets, and the impact of successful phishing campaigns on individuals and businesses.

posts

Phishing

What Is Phishing? A Security Pro's Real-World Guide

The Email That Cost One Company $100 Million In 2019, Toyota Boshoku Corporation lost $37 million in a single business email compromise attack. A threat actor impersonated a senior executive, convinced a finance employee to change wire transfer details, and the money vanished. That attack started with something deceptively simple

Carl B. Johnson May 15, 2026 5 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? The Attack Behind 80% of Breaches

In January 2024, a finance employee at a multinational firm in Hong Kong wired $25.6 million to criminals after a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO. Every person on that call was a deepfake. The attack started with a single phishing email. If

Carl B. Johnson May 10, 2026 5 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? The Attack Behind 80% of Breaches

In 2023, a single phishing email gave threat actors access to MGM Resorts' entire IT infrastructure. The attackers impersonated an employee on a help desk call — a technique they refined through information harvested from a phishing campaign. The result was over $100 million in losses and days of operational

Carl B. Johnson Apr 16, 2026 5 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? A Security Pro's Real-World Guide

A Single Email Cost This Company $100 Million In 2017, a Lithuanian man tricked Google and Facebook employees into wiring over $100 million to bank accounts he controlled. His weapon wasn't malware. It wasn't a zero-day exploit. It was email. He sent invoices that looked like

Carl B. Johnson Apr 05, 2026 5 min read
Phishing

Definition of a Phishing Attack: What It Really Looks Like

The MGM Breach Started With a Single Phone Call In September 2023, a threat actor called the MGM Resorts help desk, pretended to be an employee, and talked their way into a credential reset. Within hours, the Scattered Spider group had deep access to MGM's systems. The result:

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

What Is a Phishing Attack? A Real-World Breakdown

In January 2024, a finance employee at engineering firm Arup wired $25 million to criminals after joining a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO and several colleagues. Every person on that call was a deepfake. The attack started the same way nearly all of

Carl B. Johnson Dec 13, 2025 8 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? A Security Pro's Real-World Guide

The Attack That Cost MGM Resorts $100 Million Started With a Phone Call In September 2023, a threat actor called the MGM Resorts IT help desk, impersonated an employee they found on LinkedIn, and talked their way into a password reset. Within hours, the attackers had deployed ransomware across MGM&

Carl B. Johnson Sep 22, 2025 7 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? A Security Pro's Real-World Guide

In January 2024, a finance employee at a multinational engineering firm in Hong Kong wired $25.6 million to threat actors after a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO and several colleagues. Every person on that call was a deepfake. The attack started with

Carl B. Johnson Dec 10, 2024 7 min read
Phishing Attacks

What Is a Phishing Attack? A Real-World Breakdown

In January 2024, a finance employee at a multinational firm in Hong Kong wired $25 million to criminals after a video call with what appeared to be the company's CFO. Every person on that call was a deepfake. It started, like almost every attack of its kind, with

Carl B. Johnson Sep 11, 2024 7 min read
Phishing

What Is Phishing? A Security Pro's Real-World Guide

A Single Email Cost This Company $121 Million In 2017, a Lithuanian man orchestrated a phishing scheme that tricked both Google and Facebook into wiring him over $121 million combined. He sent fake invoices from a spoofed email address impersonating a legitimate hardware vendor. Employees at two of the most

Carl B. Johnson Dec 25, 2022 7 min read