Dave shares a listener story of scammers calling drug stores to try to gather customer rewards points. Joe describes federal contractors being scammed out of over $10 million of hardware, some of it classified communications equipment. The catch of the day starts with a bank email scam and ends with a Rick roll. Carole Theriault speaks with Michael Madon, head of security at Mimecast about the cyber security skills gap. Links to stories - https://qz.com/1661537/us-defense-contractor-falls-for-3-...
Jul 18, 2019•35 min•Season 2Ep. 57
Joe shares the heartbreaking tale of a catphishing case that leads to murder. Dave describes a shoe company using an unusual method to trick engagement with an online ad. The catch of the day engages a Nigerian scammer promising a fortune in precious minerals. Dave interview Michael Coates, head of Altitude Networks and former CISO at Twitter. Links to this week's stories - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-alaska-teen-s-murder-cybersecurity-experts-warn-catfishing-predators-n1019536 ht...
Jul 11, 2019•35 min•Season 2Ep. 56
We're taking a break for the Independence Day holiday in the US, so enjoy this episode from the early days of our show. Dave shares a story of airport penetration testing with high degree of yuck-factor. Joe explores research on protecting passwords from social engineering. The catch-of-the-day comes courtesy of Graham Cluley's email spam box. Dave interviews Wired's Security Staff Writer Lily Hay Newman on her article tracking Nigerian email scammers. Thanks to our show sponsor KnowBe4....
Jul 04, 2019•31 min
Dave shares the story of one Katie Jones, the fake online persona used to gain the confidence of high-status individuals. Joe describes the tragic case of Christine Lu, a Harvard Medical professor who was scammed out of her life savings. The Catch of the Day warns recipients not to trust the FBI. Carole Theriault interviews Akamai's Larry Cashdollar about scammers using Google Translate to obfuscate web sites. Links to this week's stories: https://www.apnews.com/bc2f19097a4c4fffaa00de6770b8a60d ...
Jun 27, 2019•36 min•Season 2Ep. 55
Joe shares the story of an elaborate check fraud scam involving HR impersonators. Dave reads an email from a listener who got phished by his own company, and has questions about authorization app vs. hardware keys. Our catch of the day involves an orphan looking to share her inheritance. Dave interviews author Perry Carpenter, who's new book is Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us about Driving Secure Behaviors. Links to stories: htt...
Jun 20, 2019•32 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Dave describes researchers spotting scammers on dating sites using AI. Joe shares a phishing scheme that asks users to manage undelivered mail. The catch of the day involves cute puppies and Mogwai meat. Dave interview Avi Solomon, director of information technology for Rumberger, Kirk and Caldwell, an Orlando, Florida litigation firm. Links to today's stories: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-48472811 https://arxiv.org/pdf/1905.12593.pdf https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-phi...
Jun 13, 2019•32 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Joe describes one of history's great con artists, Victor Lustig, who sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice. Dave shares a story from a listener involving a UPS tracking number scam. The catch of the day involves am attempted romance scam on the XBOX platform. Dave interviews Sherri Davidoff, CEO of LMG Security and is the hacker named "Alien" in Jeremy Smith's book, "Breaking and Entering." She has her own book coming out this summer, "Data Breaches: Crisis and Opportunity." Links to this week's stories:...
Jun 06, 2019•32 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Dave reviews Google's recent security report on basic account hygiene. Joe describes passive social engineering, including USB charging stations at airports. The catch of the day exposes a trunk box scam involving ill-gotten war profits. Carole Theriault speaks with the head of a group that call themselves Scam Survivors. Links to stories: https://security.googleblog.com/2019/05/new-research-how-effective-is-basic.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2019/05/21/why-you-should-n...
May 30, 2019•35 min•Season 2Ep. 51
A listener writes in with the results of his phishing attempt on his wife. Joe describes research from F-Secure on the most dangerous email attachment types. Dave shares the story of scammers impersonating local hospitals to scare a response from their victims. Our catch of the day involves a LinkedIn scam impersonating a fighter pilot. Joe interviews Elissa Redmiles, an incoming assistant professor of computer science at Princeton University. She studies behavioral modeling to understand why pe...
May 23, 2019•30 min•Ep. 50
It's a special edition of the Hacking Humans show recorded live at the KB4CON conference in Orlando, FL. Join Joe, Dave and their special guests Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4's CEO, and Kevin Mitnick, world-famous hacker and KnowBe4's chief hacking officer, as they discuss malicious scams making the rounds and how to protect yourself and your organization against them. Dave describes a late-night phone call scam, Joe explains a Social Security scheme, Stu shares deadly catch of the day, and Kevin shar...
May 16, 2019•46 min•Ep. 49
Joe describes a church scammed out of millions of dollars. Dave shares good news about a group of scammers being apprehended and arrested. The catch of the day involves a Vietnamese investment offer that's almost too good to pass up on. Dave speaks with Dr. Richard Ford from Forcepoint about the models of trust. Links to stories in today's show: https://www.grahamcluley.com/hackers-steal-1-75-million-from-catholic-church-in-ohio/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/nine-defendants-arrested-new-...
May 09, 2019•31 min•Ep. 48
Followup from listeners on Google search result scams. Dave describes the city of Ottawa sending $100K to a fraudster. Joe shares results from the FBI's Internet Crime Report. The catch of the day involves a dating site and an offer to be someone's "sugar daddy." Our guest is Andy Patel from F-Secure, describing how Twitter bots are amplifying divisive messages. Links to storys: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/city-treasurer-sent-100k-to-fraudster-1.5088744 https://threatpost.com/fbi-bec-s...
May 02, 2019•28 min•Ep. 47
Dave and Joe answer a listener question about a mysterious Netflix account. Dave describes a service for Airbnb scammers. Joe explains a particularly "nasty" Instagram scam. Carole Theriault interviews cyber insurance expert Martin Overton from OMG Cyber. Links to stories: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-nasty-list-phishing-scam-is-sweeping-through-instagram/ https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/04/land-lordz-service-powers-airbnb-scams/ Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share...
Apr 25, 2019•35 min•Ep. 46
Followup from an Australian listener. Dave shares a Paypal scam leveraging Google ads. Joe describes TechCrunch reporting on a spam service that was left out in the open. The catch of the day promises a lifetime supply of gold. Dave interviews Asaf Cidon from Barracuda Networks https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/02/inside-a-spam-operation/ https://www.barracuda.com/spear-phishing-report Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@thecyberwire.com or hit us up on Twit...
Apr 18, 2019•31 min•Ep. 45
Joe describes a study of people's perceptions when presented with a magic trick. Dave shares the story of fake boyfriend app. Our catch of the day involves the promise of millions from a bank in Africa. Dave interviews Chris Parker from WhatIsMyIPaddress.com. Links to stories: http://nautil.us/issue/70/variables/a-magician-explains-why-we-see-whats-not-there https://youtu.be/vJG698U2Mvo https://www.pedestrian.tv/tech/fake-boyfriend-app/ https://whatismyipaddress.com/ Have a Catch of the Day you'...
Apr 11, 2019•31 min•Ep. 44
Dave describes a survey of call center security methods. Joe explains a spam campaign raising the specter of a flu pandemic to scare people into enabling macros in an Office document. The catch of the day highlights a Facebook scammer promising a prize-winning windfall. Carole Theriault returns with a story about special badges Girls Scouts can earn for cyber security. Links to stories: https://marketing.trustid.com/acton/attachment/32513/f-0039/1/-/-/-/-/TRUSTID_2018_State_of_Call_Center_Authen...
Apr 04, 2019•33 min•Ep. 43
Followup on remotely previewing websites. Joe has the story of scammer bilking Facebook and Google out of millions. Dave reviews best practices for deleting data on devices you dispose of. The catch of the day is an offer of criminal partnering with the CIA. Our guest is Jeremy N. Smith, author of the book Breaking and Entering - the extraordinary story of a hacker called Alien . Links from today's stories: https://urlscan.io/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/03/21/facebook_google_scam/ https:...
Mar 28, 2019•30 min•Ep. 42
A listener recommends an online tool for safely previewing web sites. Dave shares research on what time of the work week is best for scams. Joe explains credential stuffing. Our guest is Frances Dewing, the CEO and co-founder of Rubica. They recently published a report on how crooks are accessing parents’ mobile devices via apps their kids load. Links to stories mentioned in today's show: https://screenshot.guru/ https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/phone-scams-peak-time.html https:/...
Mar 21, 2019•35 min•Ep. 41
Joe tracks the surprising number of malicious links hosted on legit websites and why it's dangerous. Dave describes an extortion scheme targeting podcasters. Our catch of the day involves a lonely Russian woman promoting a dating site. Dave interviews Gary Noesner, author of Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator . Links to stories mentioned in today's show: https://www-cdn.webroot.com/9315/5113/6179/2019_Webroot_Threat_Report_US_Online.pdf https://rebelbasemedia.io/podcast-revi...
Mar 14, 2019•29 min•Ep. 40
Followup on last week's TLD discussion. Dave shares a sextortion scam with a tragic ending. Joe highlights conveyance scams that rely on certain days of the week. Our catch of the day features a wealthy Londoner hoping to pass on her fortune. Guest Dale Zabriskie from Proofpoint has results from their State of the Phish report. Links to stories: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6744421/Army-veteran-PTSD-committed-suicide-targeted-prison-inmates-sextortion-scam.html https://www.todaysconv...
Mar 07, 2019•29 min•Ep. 39
Joe describes fraudsters taking advantage of top-level domain name confusion. Dave explains how a Google Nest security system shipped with an undocumented microphones. Our catch of the day involves a postcard missed package campaign. Our guest is Matt Devost from OODA LLC describing their work protecting high-net-worth individuals. Links to today's stories: https://rebootcamp.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/02/13/watch-out-for-fake-dod-websites-like-this/ https://nakedsecurity.sophos....
Feb 28, 2019•31 min•Ep. 38
We've got followup from a listener on cognitive dissonance and behavioral science. Dave shares a listener story about a University Dean's List scam. Joe shares statistics from a government agency phishing test. Our catch of the day involves funds from the FBI, the IMF, and yes, Nigeria. Dave interviews Crane Hassold from Agari with phishing trends they've been tracking, plus his experiences as a former FBI agent. Links to stories in today's show: https://fcw.com/articles/2019/02/11/cyber-phishin...
Feb 21, 2019•29 min•Ep. 37
On this Valentines Day edition of Hacking Humans, Joe and Dave examine romance scams, including the sad tale of woman bilked out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. There's a silly, non-murdering catch of the day, and Dave interviews Max Kilger from UTSA on the six motivations of bad actors. Links to today's stories: https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/17057-online-romance-scams-a-bbb-study-on-how-scammers-use-impersonation-blackmail-and-trickery-to-steal-from-unsuspecting-daters https://...
Feb 14, 2019•31 min•Ep. 36
Dave shares a bank spoofing scam with a reminder to mind those links, especially on mobile devices. Joe describes a case of someone turning the tables on a Twitter scammer. Our catch of the day involves a clumsy claim of physical harm. Dave interviews author Dave Levitan about his book Not a Scientist: How politicians mistake, misrepresent and utterly mangle science. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@thecyberwire.com or hit us up on Twitter ....
Feb 07, 2019•30 min•Ep. 35
We've got followup on bank scams and ransomware. Joe describes a highly sophisticated multinational business scam. Dave shares a story about private school parents falling for a Bitcoin discount scam. Our guest is Jordan Harbinger, host of The Jordan Harbinger Show , with insights on influence and social engineering. Links to this week's stories: https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/cyber-fraud-by-chinese-hackers-makes-headlines-in-india/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-46920810 H...
Jan 31, 2019•31 min•Ep. 34
Dave reviews tips on protecting yourself from ransomware. Joe describes a clever way to trick people into enabling macros. An attempt at celebrity friendship is our catch of the day. Carole Theriault returns and speaks with Dr. Jessica Barker from Cygenta about effective training techniques. Links to stories mentioned: https://www.csoonline.com/article/3331981/ransomware/how-to-protect-backups-from-ransomware.html https://myonlinesecurity.co.uk/agent-tesla-reborn-via-fake-order/ Have a Catch of ...
Jan 24, 2019•33 min•Ep. 33
Joe shares the tale of a prisoner running a variety of romance scams from the inside. Dave outlines direct deposit scams. The catch of the day is a clever variation from (where else?) Nigeria. Our guest is Sam Small from ZeroFox. Links to stories: https://hubpages.com/politics/The-Games-That-Inmates-Play https://ogletree.com/shared-content/content/blog/2018/january/diverting-employees-payroll-direct-deposits-the-latest-wave-of-phishing-scams https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article2238738...
Jan 17, 2019•31 min•Ep. 32
Dave warns of scammers gaining access to homes by pretending to be workers from the local utility company. Joe shares a story of a sophisticated bank transfer scam in the UK. Our catch of the day outlines an attempted email scam targeting an architectural firm. Carole Theriault is back with the second part of her interview with the pen tester who goes by the name freaky clown. Links to today's stories: https://www.wxyz.com/news/michigan-energy-company-warns-of-increase-in-imposters-trying-to-ent...
Jan 10, 2019•35 min•Ep. 31
Joe describes a reply-all scenario gone wrong. Dave explains the criminal use of steganography in memes as a command and control technique. Our catch-of-the-day features alluring photos texted to an unimpressed listener. Carole Theriault interviews physical pen tester Freaky Clown. Links to stories mentioned in this week's show: https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/cybercriminals-use-malicious-memes-that-communicate-with-malware/ https://www.cygenta.co.uk/ Have a Catch of ...
Jan 03, 2019•32 min•Ep. 30
We follow up on critical feedback of last week's show. Dave describes how online extortionists have pivoted from sex to explosives. We've got an auto-responding catch of the day from one of Joe's colleagues. Guest is Sean Brooks, Director of the Citizen Clinic and a Research Fellow at the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity at UC Berkeley. He shares their research into online attacks of politically vulnerable organizations. From our EV certs follow-up: https://www.troyhunt.com/extended-validation...
Dec 20, 2018•31 min•Ep. 29
