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

[New & Improved] QR Code Phishing with Snail Mail Postcards

May 22, 2023 2:25:51 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

One of KnowBe4's long-term employees just send me a picture this morning of a postcard that sure looks like it's phishing, the good old-fashioned way: snail mail ! Here is the picture and ...

[Free Tool] Find out who falls victim to QR code phishing attacks with our QR Code Phishing Security Test

May 22, 2023 11:00:00 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

According to QRTIGER, an online QR code generator company, dynamic QR code scans increased 433% globally from 2021 to 2022. In 2022, the FBI released a warning that QR codes may be ...

New Top-Level Domains as Potential Phishing Risk

May 22, 2023 10:25:18 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Google has recently introduced a set of new top-level domains: .dad, .esq, .prof, .phd, .nexus, .foo, .zip and .mov. They’re now available for purchase, and it’s the last two that are ...

Phishing Tops the List Globally as Both Initial Attack Vector and as part of Cyberattacks

May 18, 2023 4:22:37 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

A new report covering 13 global markets highlights phishing prevalence and its role in cyber attacks when compared to other types of attacks.

New “Greatness” Phishing-as-a-Service Tool Aids in Attacks Against Microsoft 365 Customers

May 18, 2023 4:22:33 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

This new phishing toolkit is rising in popularity for its effective realism in impersonating not just Microsoft 365, but the victim organization as well.

Large-Scale "Catphishing" that Targets Victims Looking for Love

May 18, 2023 10:40:39 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

For all the recent focus on artificial intelligence and its potential for deepfake impostures, the boiler room is still very much active in the criminal underworld.  WIRED describes the ...

KnowBe4 Celebrates Success of 60,000-Customer Milestone

May 16, 2023 1:20:03 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

We are thrilled to announce we have reached a milestone of 60,000 customer organizations globally, consisting of tens of millions of end users.

The Number of Phishing Attacks Continues to Grow at a Rate of 150% Per Year

May 16, 2023 1:08:10 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The latest Phishing Activity Trends Report from the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) shows an unrelenting upward trend in the number of phishing attacks per quarter.

CyberheistNews Vol 13 #20 [Foot in the Door] The Q1 2023's Top-Clicked Phishing Scams | INFOGRAPHIC

May 16, 2023 9:00:00 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

CyberheistNews Vol 13 #20 | May 16th, 2023 [Foot in the Door] The Q1 2023's Top-Clicked Phishing Scams | INFOGRAPHIC KnowBe4's latest reports on top-clicked phishing email subjects have ...

The Face Off: AI Deepfakes and the Threat to the 2024 Election

May 15, 2023 6:22:35 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

The Associated Press warned this week that AI experts have raised concerns about the potential impact of deepfake technology on the upcoming 2024 election. Deepfakes are highly convincing ...

The State of Organizational Cyber Defenses Impacts Cyber Insurance Availability, Cost, and Terms

May 15, 2023 2:25:35 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

A new report highlights the direct connection between how strong your organization’s security stance is and how easy it is to obtain cyber insurance.

FTC Warns of MetaMask and PayPal Phishing Campaigns

May 15, 2023 9:40:03 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The US Federal Trade Commission has issued an alert warning of phishing campaigns that are impersonating PayPal and the MetaMask cryptowallet.

78% of Ransomware Victim Organizations Encounter Additional Threats-Turned-Extortions

May 15, 2023 8:09:59 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

New data sheds light on how likely your organization will succumb to a ransomware attack, whether you can recover your data, and what’s inhibiting a proper security posture.

Ransomware Gangs are “Big Game Hunting” as Victim Org Sizes and Ransom Payments Continue to Rise

May 15, 2023 8:09:55 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Midsize and enterprise organizations take notice: the average and median amount of a ransom payment and the median size of the victim organization are on the rise.

Spain’s National Police Take Down a Phishing Gang

May 11, 2023 9:09:46 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

A phishing (by email) and smishing (by SMS text) operation in Madrid, Seville and Guadalajara has been taken down by the National Police of Spain. Over 40 arrests have been made on ...

Munich Re: "3x growth estimated in cyber crime costs over the next 4 years"

May 11, 2023 8:14:18 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

As cyber attacks continue to grow in sophistication and frequency, cyber insurers are expecting their market to double in the next two years.

U.K. Advance Fee Scams Increase by Over 600% in Less Than Two Years

May 11, 2023 8:14:13 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

New data from the U.K.’s Office of National Statistics shows that this often overlooked scam has grown significantly in interest – likely because it pays off.

Number of Ransomware Victim Organizations Nearly Doubles in March

May 10, 2023 10:51:43 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

New data shows a resurgence in successful ransomware attacks with organizations in specific industries, countries and revenue bands being the target.

King Charles Coronation Results in a Surge in Themed Scam Sites

May 10, 2023 10:51:40 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The once-in-a-lifetime royal occurrence sparked countless websites designed to steal personal information and credit card details, causing security experts to issue warnings.

Business Email Compromise and “Confidential” Mergers and Acquisitions

May 10, 2023 10:07:25 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

A newly identified criminal organization has been observed running a large number of business email compromise (BEC) scams. Since February 2021, Abnormal Security reports the gang has ...

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