KnowBe4 Blog

Social Engineering

Latest social engineering news, analysis, tactics the bad guys are using and what you can do to defend your organization.

Why Minimizing Human Error is the Only Viable Defense Against Spear Phishing

Phishing attacks have become one of the business world's top cybersecurity concerns. These social engineering attacks have been rising over the years, with the most recent report from the ...

Spamming Tools are a Commodity in the Criminal Underworld

Cheap and easy-to-use phishing kits and other social engineering tools are readily available for purchase on the black market, according to researchers at Digital Shadows. Criminals ...

WSJ: "Losing $450,000 in Three Days: Hackers Trick Victims Into Big Wire Transfers"

Rachel Louise Ensign wrote a great story for the WSJ about CEO Fraud, also known by the FBI as Business Email Compromise. I'm quoting an extract and I strongly recommend sending a link to ...

[EYE-OPENER] Dutch Minister Of Justice And Security: "Fighting Phishing Starts With Awareness"

"The fight against phishing starts with raising the awareness of internet users, stated Justice and Security Minister Grapperhaus. He responded to figures from Dutch banks showing that ...

[Heads-up] Ransomware Criminals Hack An Accounting Company And Cause A Data Breach For Their Customers

Last December, a ransomware infection of Albany, New York-based accounting firm BST & Co. CPAs LLC exposed the confidential data of their customers, causing a data breach for one of ...

Here Is A Real-life Bank Phone Scam Blocked By A Security Awareness Trained Employee

Brad Mathis at our partner Keller Schroeder sent me the following real-life story from Matt, a KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training client...

Phishing URLs Increase 640% as Organizations (Finally!) Embrace Security Awareness Training

The latest data from security vendor Webroot shows how cybercriminals are changing their attack methods and targets – and how Security Awareness Training makes the difference.

New Spear Phishing Campaign Targets 27 Famous Brands With Malicious SLK Files

A new spear phishing campaign is targeting twenty-seven companies around the world with malicious SLK (Symbolic Link) files, according to BleepingComputer. The attackers pose as a real ...

A U.S. Natural Gas Operator Shuts Down For 2 Days After A Phishing Attack Infects It With Ransomware

Dan Goodin at Ars Technica reported something worrisome: "A US-based natural gas facility shut down operations for two days after sustaining a ransomware infection that prevented ...

Cyberattacks in 2019 Cost over $3.5 Billion in Victim Losses with Business Email Compromise Taking in Half

The FBI’s annual year-in-review breaks down how 467,000 cyber attacks succeeded in taking consumers and businesses alike for billions of dollars.