Human Risk Management Blog

Social Engineering

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

Schools In Both The US And UK Victim Of Recent Phishing Attacks

A number of educational institutions have recently fallen victim to cyberattacks, highlighting the need for increased awareness training for students and faculty. SC Media UK has ...

OSINT – a Hacker’s First Asset in Targeted Attacks

Before a cybercriminal wants to engage in a targeted attack against a particular organization or individual, they’d like to know a few things first. That’s where OSINT comes into play.

Netflix's New "The Great Hack" Reminds Us -- If you Don't Pay For the Product You *Are* The Product

Last night, Netflix premiered “The Great Hack” which is based on the Cambridge Analytica scandal. They reminded us of the golden expression: “If you don't pay for the product you are the ...

HoneyTrap, The Oldest In The World Now As Iranian Catphish on LinkedIn

Iranian state-sponsored hackers are increasing their targeting of civilian targets amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran, according to Zak Doffman at Forbes. Doffman cites a ...

[Scam of The Week] New 'US State Police' Phishing Extortion Scam Includes Contact Numbers

Our friend Larry Abrams at Bleeping computer warned: "A new extortion scam is underway that pretends to be from a US State Police detective who is willing to delete child porn evidence if ...

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 ...


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