Show notes
This week, hosts of N2K CyberWire Maria Varmazis and Dave Bittner alongside Joe Carrigan are discussing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. They’re also joined by special guest Kieran Human, Lead Cybersecurity Engineer at ThreatLocker . Dave’s story is on an FBI warning that the Silent Ransom Group is escalating its extortion tactics by combining phishing and fake IT support calls with in-person visits, where attackers may physically enter offices to plug malicious devices into company computers. Joe’s story is on a listener-submitted case from Australia where attackers used a phishing email to silently install legitimate remote-access software, hijack a dental practice’s email system, and launch a large-scale phishing campaign that bypassed many traditional security controls. Maria’s story is on a California mother who lost $5,000 after scammers used what appeared to be her daughter’s voice in a fake kidnapping call, highlighting the growing threat of AI-powered voice cloning scams. Our Catch of the Day comes from a text scam that took an unexpected turn when the recipient fired back with a response the scammer definitely wasn't prepared for.
Resources and links to stories:
FBI warns of in-person data theft attacks from extortion gang
California Mom Loses More Than $5,000 in Voice Scam After Receiving Fake Call from Her Daughter Alleging She Was Kidnapped
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Website: thecyberwire.com