I’ll be honest, I never expected to see myself here… I’ve looked for well over a year at positions within the ever-expanding cybersecurity field – but nothing stood out. Were the offers for salary high? Were there well-known companies hiring within the industry? Most definitely. But no positions really spoke to my interests. Positions that truly attracted that deep, inner curiosity. Until now. I write this to highlight a key breakthrough I’ve encountered so far at Social-Engineer, LLC (SECOM), that until now, I hadn’t truly grasped at a fundamental level. Gaining the perspective of a beginner ..read more

For some, lack of confidence could mean they’re not very sociable. For others, it could be crippling and could hold them back from reaching their full potential, either personally or professionally. Lacking confidence is usually rooted in personal experiences, such as upbringing, comparison to others, and even personality traits. Some may feel that there’s no way to overcome a lack of self-confidence. But can impersonating confidence actually lead to feeling self-confidence? Impersonation Merriam’s dictionary defines impersonation as “to assume or act the character of.” Professional actors of ..read more

Public speaking is something that many people struggle with. In fact, 75% of the population has a fear of public speaking. Just the mere mention of it may start to make your heart race, if it is a fear of yours! Truth be told, I most definitely fall into the 75% category. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy talking to people! In fact, it is something I do almost every day as a Human Risk Analyst. However, speaking to an audience is a whole different beast. I recently gave my first company speech entitled, “The Factor of Human Error.” In prepping for my speech, I realized that the techniques I daily us ..read more

When people hear that I get to write phishing emails and make vishing calls for a living, the first question they generally ask is, “How did you get into that field?” For some, the next question is, “How do I get into that field?” If you’re part of the latter group, this newsletter is for you. Let’s explore the tips and tricks to getting into the trade. Hopefully, this perspective will help you start or continue your journey to becoming a Human Risk Analyst. Start Building Your Industry Knowledge First and foremost, you must begin by building your industry knowledge. There are many free resou ..read more

“How do I keep my child safe on the internet?” This question is hard to answer in a few minutes because it is one that is so complex. And since this topic is so vast, let’s focus on one sector, Social Media. Did you know that 95% of youth today report using social media? “Youth” is somewhat vague, so let’s narrow that down. Forty percent of 8 to 12-year-olds use social media, reports the 2023 Social Media and Youth Mental Health – The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory. Keep in mind that social media is not inherently good or bad. However, there are some things we should remember if our child or ..read more

What would you say are some traits of someone who is empathic? I would say some of those attributes would include being patient, attentive, understanding and a good listener. Now, think back to when a teacher who was empathic and went the extra mile to help you or other students that may have been struggling in that class. Surely, that contributed to a better learning environment and encouraged you to do better in that class. As adults we tend to lose some of that empathy when teaching other adults as we may reason “they should know better.” How can an empathic approach improve security educat ..read more

As 2023 comes to an end, it brings along with it a time many people look forward to: the holiday season. With this time of year coming around, however, we see an increasing amount of holiday related scams. Because of this, we want to review common end-of-year scams and how to guard against them. The FBI states that one of the most common scams is non-delivery crimes. Phishing emails with holiday themes will also increase during this time of year. You may even come across scams on social media! Let’s look together at these scams and learn how to protect ourselves from them. Non-delivery Scams ..read more

At Social-Engineer, we define impersonation as “the practice of pretexting as another person with the goal of obtaining information or access to a person, company, or computer system.” In today’s digitally driven world, impersonation scams have become a growing concern, leaving countless individuals and organizations vulnerable to financial loss, identity theft, and reputational damage. Impersonation scams are deceptive tactics used by cybercriminals to pose as trusted entities or individuals to exploit victims. This blog will delve into the various types of impersonation scams, shed light on ..read more

Just a couple of years ago, vishing, or voice phishing, was an unknown term. However, vishing is getting more attention since it’s been on the rise in the past couple of years. The Federal Trade Commission states that last year there was over 1.2 billion US Dollars lost to vishing attacks. With a 554% increase in these attacks, it’s not slowing down anytime soon. During a vishing call a malicious actor often impersonates a well-known company. Other times, they will call company employees posing as a colleague that needs help or needs to verify information. This was the case with the recent MGM ..read more

You need a new chair for your desk. You’re looking for features such as arm rest and good back support. Soft but not too soft, and of course it has to be height adjustable. You proceed to look online for the best deal…what’s the next thing you do before making the purchase? Usually, check the reviews, especially if it’s a pricey item. How many reviews do you usually need to read before making the purchase? While that answer may vary from person to person, we’re all interested in the opinion of others. But why are we so interested in the opinions of people we don’t even know? According to psych ..read more