Episodes

  • Granny’s got a new trick.

    Granny’s got a new trick.
    Nov 21 2024
    On Hacking Humans, Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are once again sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines to help our audience become aware of what is out there. This week, Joe shares a note from listener Michael before getting into stories, and Michael writes in to share that there are VIN cloning scams. Joe brings back the Iota discussion from last week. Joe's up first for stories and focuses on fraud. Dave informs us of the new human-like AI granny who is wasting scammers time. Finally Maria brings us the story of how BforeAI researchers analyzed over 6000 newly registered retail domains, revealing a surge in scam activity targeting shoppers with phishing websites, fake apps, and fraudulent offers, particularly during the holiday season, exploiting brand names, seasonal trends, and emerging technologies like AI and cryptocurrency. Our catch of the day comes from listener Kenneth who writes in about a fraudulent email claiming to be from Emirates Group, inviting a company to register as a vendor or contractor for upcoming projects in 2024/2025. The email emphasizes the company's experience in various sectors and urges a prompt response to initiate the registration process. It is signed by a supposed "Contractors Coordinator," Mr. Steve Ibrahim Ghandi, and includes fake contact details for the Emirates Group. Resources and links to stories: VIN cloning How Cybercriminals Use Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) to Hack Cars Yes, your car's Vehicle Identification Number can be used to steal from you Geolocation Resources for OSINT Investigations Person dressed in a bear costume to fake attacks on cars for insurance payout, California officials say U.S. Trustee Program Warns Consumers of Bankruptcy Fraud Alert Scam O2 unveils Daisy, the AI granny wasting scammers’ time 2024 Online Holiday Retail Threat Report You can hear more from the T-Minus space daily show here. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.
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    36 mins
  • personally identifiable information (PII) (noun) [Word Notes]

    personally identifiable information (PII) (noun) [Word Notes]
    Nov 19 2024
    A term of legal art that defines the types of data and circumstances that permits a third party to directly or indirectly identify an individual with collected data.
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    7 mins
  • Final approach to scammer advent.

    Final approach to scammer advent.
    Nov 14 2024
    On Hacking Humans, Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are once again sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines to help our audience become aware of what is out there. This week, the team shares follow up about FEMA and Hurricane Helene relief. Dave's story is about romance scams involving an impersonator of a WWE star scamming a grandfather out of their retirement savings, Maria shares a story about a valid-looking document impersonating DocuSign's API (application programming interface). Joe's got a few stories including one about a CVE (Common Vulnerabilities Enumeration) relating to an Okta bug and one from the Better Business Bureau with a new twist on online shopping scams where your get a "card declined" message. Our Catch of the Day comes from listener William about an email from the "United Nations." Resources and links to stories: DisasterAssistance.gov They’re Giving Scammers All Their Money. The Kids Can’t Stop Them. Attackers Abuse DocuSign API to Send Authentic-Looking Invoices At Scale DMARC: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance CVE-2024-10327 BBB Scam Alert: 'Card declined' error may lead to multiple fraudulent charges You can hear more from the T-Minus space daily show here. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.
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    43 mins
  • secure access service edge (SASE) (noun) [Word Notes]

    secure access service edge (SASE) (noun) [Word Notes]
    Nov 12 2024
    Enjoy this encore episode. A security architecture that incorporates the cloud shared responsibility model, a vendor provided security stack, an SD-WAN abstraction layer, and network peering with one or more of the big content providers and their associated fiber networks.
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    8 mins
  • Happy hour hacking.

    Happy hour hacking.
    Nov 7 2024
    Maria Varmazis, host of N2K's daily space show T-Minus, joins Dave and Joe to share the story of the five types of social engineers Deanne Lewis encountered while tending bar, revealing how each barroom personality reflects a common cybersecurity threat. Our hosts share some follow-up from a friend of the show, JJ, who reports a rise in tech support scams targeting non-tech-savvy users by locking their screens and persuading them to call scammers, often leading to credit card fraud and unauthorized remote access through tools like AnyDesk or TeamViewer. Joe has two stories this week: one covering JPMorgan Chase's lawsuits against individuals who exploited an ATM glitch to withdraw fake deposits, a scam popularized on TikTok; and the second on four suspects in Maryland charged with conning an elderly woman out of nearly $40,000 in a "pigeon drop" scam, where victims are promised a cut of "found" money in exchange for collateral. Dave's story is on a viral AI-generated hoax spreading on Facebook, where fake posts about neighbors egging cars over Halloween decorations are stirring moral panic and sowing distrust, especially among older users. Finally, our catch of the day comes from some text threads about a scammer trying to get clever while buying a used car. Links to the stories: The Five Types of Social Engineers I Met Tending Bar (And What They Taught Me About InfoSec) JPMorgan Chase is suing customers over 'infinite money glitch' ATM scam Four charged in ‘pigeon drop’ scam targeting elderly in Maryland The newest AI slop on Facebook exploits suburban fear You can hear more from the T-Minus space daily show here. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.
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    48 mins
  • red teaming (noun) [Word Notes]

    red teaming (noun) [Word Notes]
    Nov 5 2024
    Enjoy this encore episode. The practice of emulating known adversary behavior against an organization's actual defensive posture.
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    6 mins
  • Whispers in the wires: A closer look at the new age of intrusion. [OMITB]

    Whispers in the wires: A closer look at the new age of intrusion. [OMITB]
    Nov 5 2024
    Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Rick Howard to uncover the stories behind notable cyberattacks. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, we talk about how threat actors are shifting tactics across the landscape, focusing more on advanced social engineering and refined initial access strategies than on sophisticated malware. We’ll dive into Proofpoint's latest blog detailing a transport sector breach that, while involving relatively standard malware, showcases this growing trend of nuanced techniques and toolsets.
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    40 mins
  • The Malware Mash

    The Malware Mash
    Oct 31 2024
    Happy Halloween from the team at N2K Networks! We hope you share in our Halloween tradition of listening to the Malware Mash. You can check out our video here. Lyrics I was coding in the lab late one night when my eyes beheld an eerie sight for my malware threat score began to rise and suddenly to my surprise... It did the Mash It did the Malware Mash The Malware Mash It was a botnet smash It did the Mash It caught on 'cause of Flash The Malware Mash It did the Malware Mash From the Stuxnet worm squirming toward the near east to the dark web souqs where the script kiddies feast the APTs left their humble abodes to get installed from rootkit payloads. They did the Mash They did the Malware Mash The Malware Mash It was an adware smash They did the Mash It caught on 'cause of Flash The Malware Mash They did the Malware Mash The botnets were having fun The DDoS had just begun The viruses hit the darknet, with ransomware yet to come. The keys were logging, phishing emails abound, Snowden on chains, backed by his Russian hounds. The Shadow Brokers were about to arrive with their vocal group, "The NotPetya Five." They did the Mash They played the Malware Mash The Malware Mash It was a botnet smash They did the Mash It caught on 'cause of Flash The Malware Mash They played the Malware Mash Somewhere in Moscow Vlad's voice did ring Seems he was troubled by just one thing. He opened a shell then shook his fist and said, "Whatever happened to my Turla Trojan twist." It's now the Mash It's now the Malware Mash The Malware Mash And it's a botnet smash It's now the Mash It caught on 'cause of Flash The Malware Mash It's now the Malware Mash Now everything's cool, Vlad's a part of the band And the Malware Mash is the hit of the land. For you, defenders, this mash was meant to when you get to my door, tell them Creeper sent you. Then you can Mash Then you can Malware Mash The Malware Mash And be a botnet smash It is the Mash Don't you dare download Flash The Malware Mash Just do the Malware Mash
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    4 mins