U.K. Sees an Increase in Sophisticated Phishing Attacks Targeting Educational Institutions

Jul 19, 2019 3:12:23 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Using a mix of identity deception, domain spoofing, credential theft, and bank fraud, scammers are taking advantage of soft targets in the U.K.’s education sector.

Cyber Crime Refines Their Social Engineering Tactics

Jul 2, 2019 9:43:52 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Attackers are improving their strategies by accounting for new developments in technology, Help Net Security reports. Researchers at FireEye analyzed 1.3 billion phishing emails and ...

Instagram Vanity Makes for Vulnerability

Jul 1, 2019 9:34:08 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Scammers are targeting Instagram users with phony offers to verify their accounts in order to receive Instagram’s blue checkmark, Threatpost reports. Researchers at Sucuri came across a ...

Which Of The Four Types of Social Engineering Is The Most Damaging?

Jun 27, 2019 11:38:43 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Cybercriminals know that targeted social engineering attacks lead to the highest payoffs, so the frequency and sophistication of these attacks is guaranteed to increase, writes Jasmine ...

1.5 Billion Gmail Calendar Users are the Target of a Crafty New Phishing Scam

Jun 26, 2019 2:34:43 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

Users of Google’s Calendar app are being warned about a scam that takes advantage of the popularity of the free service and its ability to schedule meetings easily.

No, Mr. McAfee is Not Giving Away Money

Jun 25, 2019 7:07:42 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Cryptocurrency giveaway scams are making a comeback, with fraudsters posing as John McAfee, Elon Musk, and the Tesla company, BleepingComputer reports.

Chinese Hackers Infiltrate Global Telecom Networks With Spear Phishing

Jun 25, 2019 6:59:27 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The WSJ revealed a brazen hack by Chinese state-sponsored bad actors who totally owned more than 10 global telecom networks, and had full admin access to their networks. They were able to ...

"Elaborate" Identity Takeover Fraud Hits Australian Businesses

Jun 24, 2019 3:08:02 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

A new procurement scam has netted at least $1.5 million from Australian companies in New South Wales over the past few weeks, according to 10 daily. The scammers are posing as ...

Phishing Attacks Go Mobile as Cybercriminals Leverage Push Notifications

Jun 24, 2019 7:07:42 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Taking advantage of the inherent trust in mobile content, the bad guys are using a mixture of phishing text messages and look-alike sites to trick users into giving up credentials.

[Heads-up] The U.S. Launched A Cyber Attack On Iran, And We're Expecting Spear Phishing Strike Backs

Jun 23, 2019 11:30:59 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The tension in the Middle-East apparently prompted a game-changing move by the U.S. President. Washington Post sources say exactly 10 years after Stuxnet, the President approved a ...

UK Forensic Crime Labs Shut Down Due To Ransomware Attack

Jun 22, 2019 10:48:19 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Every police force across England and Wales has been forced to prioritize evidence for forensic testing following a criminal cyber attack affecting one of the primary forensic service ...

FBI Alert: Last Week Conflict With Iran Can Cause Spear Phishing Retaliation

Jun 22, 2019 10:34:21 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

This blog post has been superseded by a more recent one. You can find this new post here.

The Fake French Minister In A Silicone Mask Who Stole Millions

Jun 20, 2019 11:04:04 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Identity theft is said to be the world's fastest-growing crime, but in sheer chutzpah there can be few cons to match the story of the fake French minister and his silicone mask.

How Hackers Emptied Church Coffers with a Phishing Attack and Social Engineering Phone Call

Jun 20, 2019 7:09:18 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Cyber thieves aren't bound by a code of ethics. They look for weak targets and high rewards, which is exactly what Saint Ambrose Catholic offered.

Hit by Ransomware Attack, Florida City Agrees to Pay Hackers $600,000

Jun 20, 2019 6:36:50 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

It was all over the press, and even made it in the New York Times: "The leaders of Riviera Beach, Fla., looking weary, met quietly this week for an extraordinary vote to pay nearly ...

Subdomain Scam Hits Australian Government Seeking Money to “Register” Bogus Domain Names

Jun 20, 2019 6:21:09 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Employees of agencies within the Australian government have been receiving targeted emails offering to register what amounts to a subdomain of a legitimate look-alike domain.

[Heads-up] Alarming Tool Creates Deep Fakes That Can Now Be Edited With A Text Editor

Jun 14, 2019 6:56:27 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

Social Engineering is at the Root of Nearly all Fraud Attacks

Jun 14, 2019 6:13:03 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

According to the latest fraud report from RSA, all four of the documented fraud attack methods use some form of social engineering to trick victims into giving up their money.

Biometrics Can’t Replace Passwords: A Cybercriminal's Dream

Jun 4, 2019 1:11:44 PM By Stu Sjouwerman

In the quest to create a more secure environment, new ways to authenticate that replace the password are being sought. But it’s looking like passwords are here to stay.

Red Flags Warn of Social Engineering

May 29, 2019 7:54:53 AM By Stu Sjouwerman

The easiest way to avoid falling for scams and other social engineering attacks is to have an understanding of the tactics employed by attackers, according to Roger A. Grimes, writing in ...

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