Would you hire an employee based solely on Intuition? Probably not. You would consider factors such as their education and previous work experience. But what if a candidate looks great on paper, answers all the right questions during the interview yet you have a gut feeling that they won’t be a good fit for your team? Would you ignore that feeling and still hire them? That’s where intuition comes in. What is intuition and can we trust it? Intuition is a fascinating aspect of human cognition, often described as a gut feeling or sixth sense. Intuition involves more than just a feeling, it’s the ..read more

Throughout my years at Social-Engineer, LLC, I have had the pleasure of giving speeches for many different companies. This has enabled me to view cybersecurity through each of their lenses and learn from them. It has also enabled me to help aid in their educational development. Today, we will discuss what I learned and why these speaking engagements and discussions are so important. Along with helping your company strengthen its security posture, this will help all of us gear up for the coming Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM). Awareness of Information Beneficial security awareness seems to ..read more

As the temperatures rise and summer approaches, so do the schemes of cybercriminals looking to exploit unsuspecting individuals. Whether you’re planning a vacation, gearing up for outdoor activities, or simply enjoying some downtime, it’s crucial to remain vigilant against the wide array of scams that tend to surge during this time of the year. In this article, we’ll uncover three of these common scams, shed some light on their deceptive tactics and discuss practical ways to safeguard ourselves. Vacation Rental Scams: One prevalent scam during summer break involves fake vacation rentals adver ..read more

I take a sip of my coffee and put on my headset, I’m ready to start my workday. A large portion of my work consists of making vishing (voice phishing) calls, where we test our clients’ employees. I look at my pretext notes and take a deep breath as I get into character to play the alias for that particular client. As I dial the number, I hear the familiar hold music. This time however, I was surprised when the agent answered the phone for they answered in Spanish…the language of my heart. What you may not know is, I was born in Spain. Even though I am Spanish, for just a split second I was spe ..read more

You’re sitting at home when you receive a call from a charity you’ve donated to in the past. They explain that they appreciate your previous donation and have been calling your neighbors who have been donating an average of $200. “Oh, I can’t afford that!” you respond. “We understand,” they say, “how about $20?” This, you think, you can do. Unknowingly, you have just succumbed to a technique we in social engineering refer to as “concession.” What exactly is concession? How is it used? What are ways we can be more aware of concession being used against us? Let’s dive in. What is Concession? Con ..read more

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