Stu Sjouwerman

Chief Executive Officer & President

Stu Sjouwerman (pronounced “shower-man”) is the founder and CEO of KnowBe4, Inc., which hosts the world’s most popular integrated security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, with over 54,000 organization customers and more than 50 million users. A serial entrepreneur and data security expert with 30 years in the IT industry, Stu was the co-founder of Inc. 500 company Sunbelt Software, a multiple award-winning anti-malware software company that was acquired in 2010.

Books

Cyberheist E-Book

Find all of Stu's books on Amazon

The Great Crimeware Awakening

Jan 22, 2020 4:13:03 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The bad guys are taking advantage of their new digital bounty. Ransomware is just the beginning to show us how bad it is soon going to be. We really had no idea how bad it was going to ...

Amazon Phishbait Chums British Waters

Jan 22, 2020 8:22:27 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Action Fraud, the UK's fraud reporting center, has warned of a widespread phone scam targeting Amazon customers. The phone calls are automated and inform recipients that their Amazon ...

Temporary Social Security Number? No Such Thing

Jan 22, 2020 8:16:07 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Researchers at Kaspersky have come across an interesting phishing site that’s posing as a data leak protection service set up by the US government. The site purports to be compensating ...

Emotet Trojan Intelligently Targets Organizations, Impersonates Victims to Improve Attack Success

Jan 21, 2020 1:35:56 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

According to new insights from Cisco Talos, this banking malware is getting nastier as it moves into the island hopping space via email attacks using social engineering.

Phishing Attacks Are the Number One Data Breach Attack Vector in the U.K.

Jan 21, 2020 1:29:08 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The latest cyber attack trend data in the U.K. shows the majority of data breaches in 2019 began with a phishing attack. Security consulting firm CybSafe analyzed three years of the ...

CyberheistNews Vol 10 #4 [Heads-Up] The Evil Ryuk Ransomware Strain Now Uses Wake-on-Lan to Encrypt Your Offline Devices

Jan 21, 2020 9:35:30 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

U.K. Report: "We’re Doomed-Passwords Aren’t Strong or Secure"

Jan 20, 2020 12:12:34 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

A recent survey of over 2,000 U.K. broadband users shows that individuals don’t use good password hygiene or secure storage to protect themselves against future cyberattacks.

Cyber Incidents Are the Top Concern Among Executives

Jan 20, 2020 12:09:24 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Businesses are finally realizing the continually present threat that hackers, scammers, and cybercrime organizations pose, according to new data from insurer Allianz.

Now That Ransomware Has Gone Nuclear, How Can You Avoid Becoming the Next Victim?

Jan 20, 2020 8:49:16 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

There is a reason more than half of today’s ransomware victims end up paying the ransom. Cyber-criminals have become thoughtful; taking time to maximize your organization’s potential ...

Bad Guys Built A Completely Fake News Website For A Bitcoin Phishing Scam

Jan 20, 2020 8:00:41 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The Central Bank of Malta has issued a statement warning people about a bitcoin phishing scam being pushed by a spoofed news website, the Times of Malta reports. The site imitated a ...

Leaving Windows 7 in Production Puts You at High Risk of Ransomware Attack

Jan 17, 2020 1:11:23 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Microsoft end-of-support for Windows 7 means systems will remain unpatched, creating an opportunity for future ransomware attacks to wreak havoc.

Business Disruption is the Prominent Result for All Cyberattacks

Jan 17, 2020 1:02:44 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

New data from security vendor CrowdStrike shows that the bad guys are getting better at avoiding detection and are having a substantial financial impact on operations.

Defending Against Ransomware is a Team Effort

Jan 17, 2020 8:29:41 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Ransomware operators have grown very skilled in targeting exactly what will compel an organization to pay up, according to Andrew Brandt, principal researcher at Sophos. On the ...

[Heads-up] The Evil Ryuk Ransomware Strain Now Uses Wake-on-Lan To Encrypt Your Offline Devices

Jan 17, 2020 6:32:05 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

You must have heard of RYUK before. It's one of the most nasty, evil ransomware strains attributed to the North Korean state sponsored cyber criminals. They are an APT—Advanced Persistent ...

Hackers Request Aging Reports to Identify Their Next CEO Fraud Victims for Them

Jan 16, 2020 11:57:48 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Rather than attempt to hack user credentials and gain access to Accounts Payable applications, hackers are now impersonating the CFO and obtaining all the detail they need to launch a ...

Nemty Ransomware Creators Plan to Post Stolen Data of Non-Payors to Blog

Jan 16, 2020 11:55:12 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

In a twist to the newest ransomware tactic where data is stolen and then encrypted, the folks behind Nemty are going to use a blog to publish victims data if they don’t pay.

Kiwi Drivers Phished with Bogus License Renewals

Jan 16, 2020 8:36:17 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has warned of an ongoing email phishing campaign using fake vehicle license renewal reminders, 1 News reports. The emails appear legitimate and ...

TrickBot Hackers Have Created the Ultimate “On the Fly” Update Backdoor

Jan 15, 2020 3:06:26 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The newly-created “PowerTrick” backdoor leaves malware ready to accept new commands and victim organizations perpetually in danger of the next thing the malware’s creators can think of.

You Should Be Scared of the Latest Strains of Phobos Ransomware

Jan 15, 2020 2:59:51 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

In an unusual twist, it’s not actually the ransomware itself that makes the newer forms of Phobos so frightening; it’s the people behind the attacks that will have you worried.

Travelex Warns Customers: Watch Out For Phishing Or Telephone Scams In Aftermath of Ransomware Attack

Jan 15, 2020 2:50:46 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

A little more than two weeks ago on New Year’s Eve, Foreign Currency services supplier Travelex was hit by a Sodinokibi (REvil) Ransomware attack. It has yet to recover and its web sites ...

Security Awareness Training Blog

View Topics