
Hacking Humans
772 episodes — Page 8 of 16
S5 Ep 240Lazarus Group: Breaking down the evolution.
This week, our guests are Jean Lee and Geoff White from BBC and the Lazarus Heist talking about what is coming up in Season 2 of their show and how the Lazarus Group is evolving. Joe briefly discusses Generative AI before going into his stories for this week. Joe's first story comes from Lauren Jackson from WBRC who writes in with a disturbing tire scam causing businesses to lose thousands. Joe's second story is from David Sentendrey from KDFW, who shares a story about a woman who fell victim to a romance scam loosing $75,000. Daves story follows a casino scam in Colorado, which was the largest heist in the states history. Our catch of the day comes from listener Morten who received a confusing message regarding an inheritance payment fund. Links to stories: Cullman Police warn of returning scam that has local businesses out thousands of dollars Woman who lost $75K in worldwide online romance scam warning others of the danger Black Hawk casino heist is largest in Colorado history Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 143Hunt forward operations (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusDefensive cyber operations carried out by U.S. Cyber Command's Cyber National Mission Force, CNMF at the request of allied nations. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/hunt-forward-operation Audio reference link: Paul Nakasone, G., 2022. Vanderbilt Summit Keynote [Video]. YouTube. URL www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axg4s9l9wi0.
S5 Ep 239Inside the history of a child hacker.
Paul Dant, Illumio's Senior Director for Cybersecurity Strategy and Research, is sharing how his history as a child hacker informed his thinking today. Joe and Dave share some listener follow up from Anthony, who writes in about a scam from the app Nextdoor, regarding scammers trying to upgrade Xfinity customers using their computers rather than the usual method, which throws up red flags. Dave's story this week follows a principal from a Florida science and technology charter school who mistakenly wrote a check for $100,000 to an Elon Musk impersonator. Joe's story is on email compromise, and the increase we have seen in the last several months, including an "increase in ‘novel social engineering attacks’ across thousands of active Darktrace/Email customers from January to February 2023." Our catch of the day comes from listener JP, who writes in regarding a suspicious looking email they received from "Norton" saying they will increase the price of their service being used. Links to stories: School principal resigns after writing $100,000 check to Elon Musk impersonator Tackling the Soft Underbelly of Cyber Security – Email Compromise Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 142Cyber gravity (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusThe invisible force that governs the movement of data across networks. Audio reference link: “Things to Come 1936 - HG Wells.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Sept. 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atwfWEKz00U.
S3 Ep 18As a scammer, sometimes you need to fake it till you make it. [Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies]
Thanks for joining us again for another episode of fun project brought to you by the team of Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Hacking Humans co-host Dave Bittner is joined by Rick Howard in this series where they view clips from their favorite movies and television shows with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear Dave and co-host Joe Carrigan talk about on Hacking Humans. In this episode, Dave and Rick watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then they deconstruct what they saw. Grab your bowl of popcorn and join us for some fantastic scams and frauds. Links to this episode's clips if you'd like to watch along: Dave's clip from the movie The Princess Bride Rick's clip from the movie Now You See Me 2
S5 Ep 238Protecting against financial cybercrimes.
Keith Houston, Chief prosecutor in financial cybercrimes at Harris County District Attorney's Office in Houston, TX, shares some scams that have come through his office and advice on how to protect yourself. Dave and Joe share some follow up from listener Nevile, who writes in about a news story he came across regarding pendrive bombs, wondering what do you do if you're a reporter and someone sends you a scoop in a pendrive? Joe has two stories regarding AI, and how scammers were able to use AI software to clone voices the victims would recognize and then con them out of thousands of dollars. Dave's story is on a new report stating that the most common combosquatting keyword is support. Our catch of the day comes from listener Shawn who writes in sharing an email they received from their companies HR team warning them of a suspicious package that has been circulating around the office. Links to stories: N.L. family warns of possible AI voice clone scam that cost them $10K How scammers likely used artificial intelligence to con Newfoundland seniors out of $200K The Most Common Combosquatting Keyword Is “Support” Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter
S3 Ep 141Artificial Intelligence (AI) (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusThe ability of computers to execute tasks typically associated with human intelligence, including natural language processing, problem solving, and pattern recognition. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/ai Audio reference link: Staff, 2016. Alan Turing - The Imitation Game - Can Machines Think? [YouTube Video]. Learn Understand Create. URL www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs7Lo5MKIws.
S5 Ep 237Seeking employment fraud?
Kathleen Smith, CMO from ClearedJobs.Net sits down with Dave to talk about how job seekers are susceptible to employment fraud. Joe and Dave share some listener follow up from Steve, who writes in to share a scary and frustrating story as hackers were able to scam their way into his and his wife’s Verizon Wireless account. Dave's story follows giveaway scams, which are scams that impersonate celebrities and brands, most notably Elon Musk and the companies he is associate with, to try and get victims to believe they have won a large sum of cryptocurrency. Joe's story is on a scary development in the AI world, regarding family emergency scams. Scammers are now using AI to enhance the believability. Our catch of the day comes from a listener named Jim who writes in about a scam he came across in his spam folder from a "Sgt. Nolla E. Donald" who wants to give him millions of dollars to keep safe while she fights over in Iraq. Links to stories: Chatbots, Celebrities, and Victim Retargeting: Why Crypto Giveaway Scams Are Still So Successful Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter
S3 Ep 140Certification (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA credential demonstrating an individual's knowledge in the field of cybersecurity, usually obtained by passing an exam or series of exams. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/certification Audio reference link: Bombal, D., 2022. Are certifications important in Cybersecurity? [Video]. YouTube. URL www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdgf_Wr82rs.
S3 Ep 17Fingerprinting fights off fraud? [Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies}
Thanks for joining us again for another episode of fun project brought to you by the team of Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Hacking Humans co-host Dave Bittner is joined by Rick Howard in this series where they view clips from their favorite movies and television shows with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear Dave and co-host Joe Carrigan talk about on Hacking Humans. In this episode, Dave and Rick watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then they deconstruct what they saw. Grab your bowl of popcorn and join us for some fantastic scams and frauds. Links to this episode's clips if you'd like to watch along: Dave's clip from the movie I dream of Jeannie Rick's clip from the movie Ant Man
S5 Ep 236Do you have curtains on your house?
On this episode, the CyberWire's UK Correspondent Carole Theriault talks with Iain Thomson from the Register about why he has no IoT in his house and what advice he offers for those who do. Joe's story features ten social engineering techniques. Dave has a story starts with an order by the FTC against Epic Games for tricking users to make in-game purchases in Fortnite using dark patterns. Our Catch of the Day comes from listener Lauren sharing a phishing attempt at her company where the scammers obviously did their homework on who to contact in the organization. Links to stories: Ten Social Engineering Techniques Used By Hackers FTC Finalizes Order Requiring Fortnite maker Epic Games to Pay $245 Million for Tricking Users into Making Unwanted Charges What are deceptive patterns? Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter
S3 Ep 139Network slicing (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA technique used to create virtual networks within a shared physical network infrastructure. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/network-slicing Audio reference link: Whitehead, D.N., 2021. 5G Smart Networks Part 1: Network Slicing [Video]. YouTube. URL www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCt3rYODZ7g.
S5 Ep 235Changing the face of identity.
Eric Olden, Chief Executive at Strata, sits down with Dave to discuss the changing face of identity; where we’ve been, where are going, and the bumps along the way. Dave and Joe share some listener follow-up from Michael, who writes in about advertisements on YouTube and other social networks claiming magical results. Dave's story follows a new tool released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help with slow and stop the spread of sextortion of minors. Joe's story is on a LinkedIn post by Gary Warner regarding why we have so much fraud. Our catch of the day is from listener Shon, who writes in about an email they received about “Meta Resources Recruiter” informing them of an open “CISO Lead role.” Links to stories: Teens can proactively block their nude images from Instagram, OnlyFans Why do we have so much fraud? Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter
S3 Ep 138Device trust (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusThe process of verifying that a device is known, secure, and uncompromised before allowing it to connect to a network or access resources. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/device-trust Audio reference link: “Favorite Scene of Alan Rickman from Die Hard.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Jan. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mklnXM3LIXo.
S5 Ep 209Encore: Scams in the media.
Mallory Sofastaii from Baltimore's WMAR 2 News sits down with Joe to talk about some recent stories on scams she's covered on Matter for Mallory. Dave and Joe share some listener follow up from Robert who writes in about the technical means to protect phones from robocalls. He shares some insight on how carriers up in the north are able to protect phones. Dave shares a twitter thread from Brian Jay Jones, who is an author of biographies of Jim Henson, George Lucas and Dr. Seuss, who shares how he would have almost had his Twitter account hijacked if it weren't for 2-step verification. Joe's story is on a gentleman pleading guilty in PAC scams, raising almost 3.5 million by making false and misleading representations in the 2016 election. This week we have a string of catch of the days from different listeners sharing different SMS scams. Links to stories: Associate of scam PAC operator pleads guilty Twitter thread of Brian Jay Jones Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter
S3 Ep 137ZTNA (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA technology set design to support the cybersecurity first principle strategy of zero trust, that limits device people and software component access to only designated authorized resources and nothing more. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/zero-trust-network-access Audio reference link: “Zero Trust Explained by John Kindervag.” YouTube, YouTube, 2 Oct. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LZe4Vn-eEo.
S5 Ep 234Saving the world from cybercrime.
Dan Golden and Renee Dudley, reporters at ProPublica and authors of "The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits' Improbable Crusade to Save the World from Cybercrime," discuss their book. Dave and Joe share some follow up form listener Ignacio who writes in to share thoughts on Joe's preference to using open source options for password managers. Joe's story this week follows Coinbase, who recently had a cybersecurity breach but their cyber controls prevented the attacker from gaining direct system access and prevented any loss of funds or compromise of customer information. Dave's story is on people trying to gain cryptocurrency back after it was hacked and stolen from them, only to wait and receive nothing in the long run. Our catch of the day comes from listener Josh, who writes in about an email he received that stated that his wallet would be suspended if he did not download a verification link. Links to stories: Who You Gonna Call? The Ransomware Hunting Team. Social Engineering - A Coinbase Case Study These Companies Say They Can Recover Stolen Crypto. That Rarely Happens. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 136GDPR (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA data privacy legal framework that applies to all countries in the European Union, regulating the transmission, storage, and use of personal data associated with residents of the EU. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/general-data-protection-regulation Audio reference link: “Mr. Robot Predicts JPM Coin!” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Feb. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ee-cHbCI0s.
S5 Ep 233Password managers and their benefits.
Corie Colliton Wagner from Security.org joins to discuss the company’s research of password manager tools and their benefits, identity theft, and the market outlook for PW managers. Dave and Joe share quite a bit of follow up from listeners Mitch, Neville, and Richard. Mitch writes in to share about gift card scams, and Neville and Richard both share their thoughts on the pros and cons of having a cloud-based password manager. Dave's story is about employees around the globe and their internet habits inside the workplace. Joe's story follows a new release of data from the FTC on romance scams, including the top lies being told by scammers. Our catch of the day comes from listener Gordy, who writes in about an email he received regarding a new position scammers are trying to fill in an open job. Links to stories: Are Your Employees Thinking Critically About Their Online Behaviors? New FTC Data Reveals Top Lies Told by Romance Scammers Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 135ChatGPT (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA conversational language model developed by the company OpenAI. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/chatgpt Audio reference link: jeongphill. “Movie - Her, First Meet OS1 (Operation System One, Os One, OS1).” YouTube, YouTube, 29 June 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV01B5kVsC0.
S5 Ep 232Scamming through generations.
Mathieu Gorge from VigiTrust sits down to discuss the different ways that online attackers target younger and older generations, and what the cybersecurity industry can and should do to protect them. Dave and Joe share some listener follow up from Greg who writes in regarding porch pirates possibly finding a new way to steal packages. In Joe's story this week, we learn that while ransomware was down last year, more and more people are clicking on phishing emails. Dave's story follows Ahad Shams, the co-founder of Web3 metaverse gaming engine startup Webaverse, who ended up getting $4 million of his cryptocurrency stolen. Our catch of the day comes from listener Rodney who writes in about an email he received. The scammers were trying to collect information from him after saying he was already scammed out of money, when in fact he was not. Links to stories: New cybersecurity data reveals persistent social engineering vulnerabilities Scammers steal $4 million in crypto during face-to-face meeting Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 134Man-in-the-Middle (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA cyber attack technique where adversaries intercept communications between two parties in order to collect useful information or to sabotage or corrupt the communication in some manner. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/man-in-the-middle-attack
S3 Ep 16Appearances count in the scam business. [Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies]
Welcome to Season 3 of Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies. Thanks for joining us again for another episode of fun project brought to you by the team of Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Hacking Humans co-host Dave Bittner is joined by Rick Howard in this series where they view clips from their favorite movies and television shows with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear Dave and co-host Joe Carrigan talk about on Hacking Humans. In this episode, Dave and Rick watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then they deconstruct what they saw. Grab your bowl of popcorn and join us for some fantastic scams and frauds. Links to this episode's clips if you'd like to watch along: Dave's clip from the movie Paper Moon Rick's clip from the movie Catch Me If You Can
S5 Ep 231A boom of infostealers and stolen credentials.
Keith Jarvis, Senior Security Researcher from Secureworks Counter Threat Unit (CTU), shares his thoughts on the alarming rise of infostealers and stolen credentials. Dave and Joe share some listener follow-up from Ron who writes in about a book, entitled "Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons" by Carey Parker, which he finds as a helpful resource when it comes to cybersecurity. Dave's story follows password management companies and how they might not be as safe as what we presume them to be, most notably the LastPass breach in the last month. Joe has two stories this week, his first on a 19 year old TikToker who was arrested for running a GoFundMe scam while portraying on the popular social media app that she was diagnosed with 3 different types of cancer. Joe's second story is on Marines outsmarting artificially intelligent security cameras by hiding in a clever way that the AI could not recognize. Our catch of the day comes from listener Tim, who writes in about an old scam with a new twist, and how he was able to figure it out. Links to stories: Password Managers: A Work in Progress Despite Popularity 19-YEAR-OLD TIKTOKER ARRESTED FOR RUNNING GOFUNDME SCAM... Over Fake Cancer Diagnosis U.S. Marines Outsmart AI Security Cameras by Hiding in a Cardboard Box Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 133NIST (Noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA branch of the US Department of Commerce whose stated mission is to “promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.” CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/national-institute-of-standards-and-technology Audio reference link: Center, M.I., 2022. 2022 Meridian Summit: Cultivating Trust in Technology with NIST Director Laurie Locascio [WWW Document]. YouTube. URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o43Y9Tk8ZVA (accessed 1.26.23).
S5 Ep 230A war on commerce.
J. Bennett from Signifyd discusses the fraud ring that has launched a war on commerce against US merchants over the past few months. Joe and Dave share some listener follow up from Jon who writes in about an email he almost fell victim to. Joe shares two stories this week, the first on how scammers were seen posing as tech support at two US agencies in an attempt to hack their employees. Joe's second story is on a woman trying to steal 2.8 million for an elderly Holocaust survivor. Dave's story follows how an ad scam was able to break through over 11 million phones. Our catch of the day comes from husband and wife, Chad and Jen, who write in sharing a scam that Jen almost fell for. An email from "iTunes" confirming a payment of over $100 hit the music lover's inbox that she didn't authorize. The scammers went on to explain the rules behind the payment, making sure to include that if she did not make this purchase to notify them immediately. Links to stories: Scammers posed as tech support to hack employees at two US agencies last year, officials say 36-Year-Old Woman Accused of Using Romance Scam to Swindle $2.8M from Elderly Holocaust Survivor A Sneaky Ad Scam Tore Through 11 Million Phones Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 132CIRT (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA team responsible for responding to and managing cybersecurity incidents involving computer systems and networks in order to minimize the damage and to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/cirt Audio reference link: Avery, B., 2017. 24 TV May 05 Season4 [WWW Document]. YouTube. URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq_2xPuqI-E&list=PLGHedLavrFoGsea1ZCHBm9-nK5FdM3_Kd&index=10.
S8 Ep 48Interview with the AI, part one. [Special Editions]
bonusCybersecurity interview with ChatGPT. In part one of CyberWire’s Interview with the AI, Brandon Karpf interviews ChatGPT about topics related to cybersecurity. Rick Howard joins Brandon to analyze the conversation and discuss potential use cases for the cybersecurity community. ChatGPT is a chatbot launched by OpenAI and built on top of OpenAI’s GPT-3 family of large language models. Cyber questions answered by ChatGPT in part one of the interview. What were the most significant cybersecurity incidents up through 2021? What leads you to characterize these specific events as significant? What were the specific technical vulnerabilities associated with these incidents? Who were the cyber actors involved in each of these attacks? Do you think it's valuable to attribute cyber attacks to specific actors?
S5 Ep 229Outsmarting the scammers.
Nadine Michaelides from Anima People sits down with Dave to discuss preventing insider threat using behavioral science and psych metrics. Joe and Dave share some follow up regarding a Facebook scammer who is targeting Joe, as well as a letter from listener Richard who write in about business emails and the compromised warning signs they send about dangerous emails coming from outside the company. Dave shares a story about hackers who are setting up fake websites to promote malicious downloads through advertisements in Google search results. Joe's has two stories this week, one is about the latest scam in the parking ticket realm, and the second story follows West Virginia police warning residents of a Walmart scam where the scammer send you a "free 50 dollar Walmart gift card." The catch of the day comes from Penny who writes in about a scam that almost sucked her in through an email from "McAfee." Links to stories: Hackers push malware via Google search ads for VLC, 7-Zip, CCleaner That Surprisingly Real Looking Parking Ticket May Be Fake! Don’t Fall for Latest Scam McMechen Police issue warning about Walmart scam in area Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 131PUP (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA software program installed unintentionally by a user that typically performs tasks not asked for by the installer. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/potentially-unwanted-program Audio reference link: Butler, S., 2022. Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPS) EXPLAINED [Video]. YouTube. URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L429Iahbww (accessed 1.6.23).
S5 Ep 228The front lines of ransomware attacks.
Rohit Dhamankar from Fortra’s Alert Logic joins Dave to discuss the decline in ransomware attacks and lessons learned from the front lines. Dave and Joe share some listener follow up from Keith regarding Dave's story from last episode and how he recognizes the scams being mentioned and offers his opinions on the matter. Joe shares two stories this week, one about his ironclad gift he gave to his wife, with his second story following the buzz surrounding OpenAI, creators of ChatGPT, their new interface for their Large Language Model (LLM) and how it works. Dave's story also follows ChatGPT in a different direction. His story is on the latest popular app and its rise to fame in the app store, now charging users almost 8 dollars to use the AI technology. Our catch of the day comes from listener and friend of the show Joel who writes in about how he was contacted at his place of business by a "DEA agent" who claims Joel was committing malpractice, and if he wanted these charges to go away he would need to pay $2500. Links to stories: OPWNAI: AI THAT CAN SAVE THE DAY OR HACK IT AWAY Sketchy ChatGPT App Soars Up App Store Charts, Charges $7.99 Weekly Subscription [Update: Removed] Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 130Ransomware (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusMalware that disables a system in exchange for a ransom, usually by encrypting the system's data until the user pays for the decryption key. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/ransomware Audio reference link: https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.d6a9f744-47b0-ac70-aa56-b31fd0f58482&territory=US&ref_=share_ios_season&r=web
S5 Ep 227The age old battle between social engineering and banking.
Chip Gibbons, CISO at Thrive, sits down with Dave to talk about how to defend against social engineering attacks in banking. Dave starts us off this week with a story about Amazon opening up its selling market to Pakistani residents, and what consequences that led to for the organization’s business. Joe's story follows a scam targeting soldiers in the Army. The Army warns against unknown individuals purporting to be noncommissioned officers that are calling said soldiers and asking them for money to fix a "pay problem" and, if questioned, threatening them with a punishment. Our catch of the day comes from listener Manie who writes in about a scam found when trying to download a HDRI (High Dynamic Range Image). The scam involves a fake ad asking for people’s cell phone numbers as soon as they click on a button that reads "download here". Manie shares how after she clicked the ad, she realized the mistake and immediately researched more before proceeding further. Links to stories: Amazon finally authorized Pakistani sellers. A wave of scammers followed Army Warns of Scam Targeting New Soldiers Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 129Service Set Identifier (SSID) (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusThe name of a wireless access point. CyberWire Glossary link. Audio reference link: SSID Management - CompTIA Security+ SY0-401: 1.5, Professor Messer, uploaded August 3rd, 2014.
S5 Ep 226Leveraging credentials online and off isn't going away.
Guest Eric Levine, Co-founder and CEO at Berbix, joins Dave to discuss identity fraud. Dave and Joe share comments from listener Chris on a series of SMS messages he got from "Wells Fargo." Joe's story previews what is coming for social engineering attacks in 2023 and how to prepare to improve your safety online, while Dave's story is about sextortion scammers in rural India and how they are blackmailing victims. Our catch of the day comes from listener George who's been receiving a lot of scam messages via WhatsApp and how he played along with one of them. Links to stories: Social Engineering Attacks: Preparing for What’s Coming in 2023 The sextortion scammers of rural India Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 128Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA U.S. Government specification for data encryption using an asymmetric key algorithm. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/advanced-encryption-standard Audio reference link: papadoc73. “Claude Debussy: Clair De Lune.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Oct. 2008.
S1 Ep 15Sisters, grifters, and shifters. [Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies]
Thanks for joining us again for another episode of fun project brought to you by the team of Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Hacking Humans co-host Dave Bittner is joined by Rick Howard in this series where they view clips from their favorite movies and television shows with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear Dave and co-host Joe Carrigan talk about on Hacking Humans. In this episode, Dave and Rick watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then they deconstruct what they saw. Grab your bowl of popcorn and join us for some fantastic scams and frauds. On this episode, Dave and Rick are joined by guest contributor Amanda Fennell. You can find Amanda on Twitter at @Chi_from_afar. Links to this episode's clips if you'd like to watch along: Dave's clip from the movie Zombieland Rick's clip from the movie Traveller Amanda's clip from the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The CyberWire: The 12 Days of Malware.[Special Editions]
bonusMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the CyberWire and our friends! Enjoy our rendition of the 12 Days of Malware created by Dave Bittner and performed by Dave and friends: Rachel Tobac, Jayson Street, Ron Eddings & Chris Cochran, Ray [Redacted], Dinah Davis, Camille Stewart, Rick Howard, Michelle Dennedy, Jack Rhysider, Johannes Ullrich, and Charity Wright. Ba dum bum bum. Sing along if you are game! Check out our video for the full effect! The 12 Days of Malware lyrics On the first day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: A keylogger logging my keys. On the second day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the third day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the fourth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the fifth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the sixth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the seventh day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the eighth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the ninth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 9 Rootkits rooting... 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the tenth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 10 Darknet markets... 9 Rootkits rooting... 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! (Bah-dum-dum-dum!) 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the eleventh day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 11 Phishers phishing... 10 Darknet markets... 9 Rootkits rooting... 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! (Bah-dum-dum-dum!) 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 12 Hackers hacking... 11 Phishers phishing... 10 Darknet markets... 9 Rootkits rooting... 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
S5 Ep 225How to avoid Instagram scams.
This week, Carole Theriault sits down to interview Dr. Jessica Barker from Cygenta to discuss the latest Instagram scams and how to avoid them. Dave and Joe share some follow-up on Apple, why they are being sued, and how you can protect yourself, as well as a new USPS scam affecting Connecticut. Dave's story follows a message board on smartphones being stolen and what happens after the thieves obtain the stolen phone. Joe's story is on a complex scam where the scammers choose ambitious individuals to turn into the scammers. Our catch of the day comes from listener Jay, who writes in, sharing a LinkedIn post from Dave Harland about him messing with a scammer trying to bamboozle him. Links to stories: USPS text scam hits Connecticut residents What happens to your smartphone when it gets stolen? Dreamers say father and son lured them to scam artist LinkedIn scammer thread Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 127Data Loss Protection (DLP) (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA set of tools designed to safeguard data while in use in motion and at rest. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/data-loss-prevention Audio reference link: HistoryHeard. “Data Loss Prevention - CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 - 2.1,” Professor Messer, uploaded 20 November 2017
S2 Ep 14Sometimes it's scripted and others, it's a target of opportunity. [Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies]
Thanks for joining us again for another episode of fun project brought to you by the team of Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Hacking Humans co-host Dave Bittner is joined by Rick Howard in this series where they view clips from their favorite movies and television shows with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear Dave and co-host Joe Carrigan talk about on Hacking Humans. In this episode, Dave and Rick watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then they deconstruct what they saw. Grab your bowl of popcorn and join us for some fantastic scams and frauds. On this episode, Dave and Rick are joined once again by Tracy Maleeff, security researcher at the Krebs Stamos Group. You may also know Tracy on Twitter as infosecsherpa. Links to this episode's clips if you'd like to watch along: Rick's clip from the movie Criminal Tracy's clip from the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley
S5 Ep 224Disinformation and verification.
Kaspars Ruklis, the Program Manager for Media Literacy from IREX sits down with Dave to talk about the very verified media literacy program. Dave and Joe share some listener followup on some of the business' common language, this week, listener Vicki asks about the term "EULA" and what it stands for. Joe's story follows a scam that is particularly alarming around the holiday's, about fake barcodes on gift cards. A former police officer found this scam as she was trying to check out with a gift card and the cashier pulled off a fake barcode. Dave's story is all about scammers who are getting scammed. The story follows cybercriminals who are using hacking forums to buy software exploits and stolen login details and how they keep falling for cons and are getting ripped off thousands of dollars. Our catch of the day comes from listener Connor who shares an email that is so suspicious, Gmail put a warning on it. It's a very interesting email explaining that the receiver has been hacked and the scammer requires $1200 in bitcoin to not take advantage of the receivers accounts. Links to stories: HOW TO AVOID GIFT CARD SCAMS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Scammers Are Scamming Other Scammers Out of Millions of Dollars Very Verified program Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 126Domain Naming System (DNS) (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA system that translates text-based URLs to their underlying numerical IP addresses. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/domain-name-system-dns Audio reference link: HistoryHeard. “History Heard: Paul Mockapetris.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 Apr. 2009.
S1 Ep 13Keeping the scams in the family. [Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies]
bonusThanks for joining us again for another episode of fun project brought to you by the team of Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Hacking Humans co-host Dave Bittner is joined by Rick Howard in this series where they view clips from their favorite movies and television shows with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear Dave and co-host Joe Carrigan talk about on Hacking Humans. In this episode, Dave and Rick watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then they deconstruct what they saw. Grab your bowl of popcorn and join us for some fantastic scams and frauds. Links to this episode's clips if you'd like to watch along: Dave's clip from the television show Better Call Saul. Rick's clip from the movie The Lady Eve.
S5 Ep 223Do not get your news on social media.
Guest Giulia Porter, Vice President of RoboKiller, discusses their mid-year report on phone scams. Following that phone scam line, Dave has a story about the international takedown of online crimeware that spoofed caller ID with a service called iSpoof. Dave notes there are some helpful tips for scams related to caller ID included in the article. Joe talks about news on social media (note: Joe's stance is: DO NOT get your news on social media). He talks about several pieces he found on leadstories.com while doing research for an article about news on social media. Joe shares some examples from the website. Our Catch of the Day listener Povilas with a funny phish about a green product. Links to stories: Voice-scamming site “iSpoof” seized, 100s arrested in massive crackdown Leadstories.com Blue Feed Fact Check: White House Did NOT Pick 'Satan Worshipper' to 'Oversee American Health' Fact Check: COVID-19 Nasal Test Swabs Do NOT Contain DARPA Hydrogel That Causes Recipients To Be Remotely Controlled Red Feed Fact Check: Donald Trump Does NOT Get A Tax Break For His Golf Course Because Ivana Trump Is Buried There Fact Check: Ben Shapiro The Commentator Did NOT Receive PPP Loan -- That Was A Different Guy Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 125Pretexting (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA social engineering technique in which a threat actor poses as a trusted person or entity in order to trick the victim into disclosing information or performing an action that benefits the attacker. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/pretexting Audio reference link: “Batch Pin Hurt Charlize Theron Skin | the Italian Job (2003) Movie Scene.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Nov. 2016.
S5 Ep 222A vishing competition and a Black Badge holder.
This week, Carole Theriault is interviewing DEFCON Black Badge holder Chris Kirsch from RunZero on the recent DEFCON 30 vishing competition. Dave and Joe share some listener follow up from 3 different listeners, who share stories on disposable email addresses, as well as a little insight on a Best Buy scam mentioned in a previous episode. Joe's story is on gaming companies and whether or not they have to stoop down to stemming growth in cheats, hacks, and other types of fraud to keep customers coming back. Dave's story comes from his father, he has two stories, one involving a gift card scam and an email compromise of a family member’s account. The other involves a fake invoice for tech support services. Our catch of the day comes from listener Felipe, who writes in asking Joe and Dave to make sense of the email he received saying that his refund was recalled from someone claiming to be the "Secretary for International Finance of United States Treasury Department." Links to stories: For Gaming Companies, Cybersecurity Has Become a Major Value Proposition Scam call center video Jim Browning scammers video Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
S3 Ep 124Web Application Firewall (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusA layer seven firewall designed to block threats at the application layer of the open system interconnection model, the OSI model. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/web-application-firewall Audio reference link: “VCF East 9.1 - Ches' Computer Security Adventures - Bill Cheswick.” YouTube, 29 Dec. 2015, https://youtu.be/trR1cuBtcPs.
S1 Ep 12Counterfeit coupons and paybacks. [Hacking Humans Goes to the Movies]
Thanks for joining us again for another episode of fun project brought to you by the team of Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Hacking Humans co-host Dave Bittner is joined by Rick Howard in this series where they view clips from their favorite movies and television shows with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear Dave and co-host Joe Carrigan talk about on Hacking Humans. In this episode, Dave and Rick watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then they deconstruct what they saw. Grab your bowl of popcorn and join us for some fantastic scams and frauds. Links to this episode's clips if you'd like to watch along: Dave's clip from the movie Queenpins. Rick's clip from the movie Confidence.
S3 Ep 123COBIT (noun) [Word Notes]
bonusAn IT governance framework developed by ISACA. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/cobit Audio reference link: isacappc. “How Do You Explain Cobit to Your Dad – or Your CEO?” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Aug. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYATVkddIyw.