Introduction

When you hear “deepfake,” your might imagine fake celebrity pictures or convincing prank calls. Maybe you think about those AI tools that can “bring back” famous people as they would look today. However, deepfake technology has also infiltrated our workspaces and become a serious threat to our data privacy.

Introduction

In every workplace, cybersecurity awareness begins with a laundry list of rules: Avoid unknown links. Never share passwords. Don’t plug in unapproved devices.

These rules exist for a reason, of course. They form the foundation of how we protect company data and everybody in the office.

You’re three hours into a five-hour drive to visit family for the holidays. Your daughter asks, “Can I play Roblox on your laptop?” Your work laptop. The one with client files, financial data and access to your entire business. You’re exhausted from packing, you’ve got three more hours to go and, honestly, keeping her entertained sounds pretty good right now.

Even in good times, scammers circle around generosity. But during the holidays, when giving increases and emotions run high, they truly pounce.

A few years ago, a massive telefunding fraud was shut down after authorities discovered that the perpetrators had made 1.3 billion deceptive donation calls and collected over $110 million from unsuspecting donors.

Last December, an accounts payable clerk at a midsize company got an urgent text from her “CEO”: Buy $3,000 worth of Apple gift cards for clients, scratch the backs and e-mail the codes. It sounded odd, but the request came from the boss’s name, and it was peak holiday chaos.

Introduction

When you see a padlock icon on a website, or your company announces, “We’re fully compliant with XYZ standard,” it’s easy to feel safe. These signals are meant to reassure us that the other person takes security very seriously.

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has overtaken personal lives and workplaces alike. Headlines now promise that AI will catch hackers before they strike, detect threats faster than humans, and make our digital lives safer.

In some ways, that’s true.

Many workplaces have implemented Zero Trust policies. Does yours have one? Do you know what that term really means?

At its core, the idea sounds simple: never trust, always verify. That basically means that, instead of believing that everyone and everything on your company network is safe, every request for access must be checked, verified, and logged.

Introduction

You hear warnings about phishing, ransomware, malware, but there’s another threat that often flies under the radar: Spoofing.

It’s where someone pretends to be someone (or something) they’re not. They do this by faking numbers, websites, or identities.

Introduction

Tax season is stressful enough on its own. Now, some California residents face an extra headache: A wave of smartphone scams (also known as smishing campaigns) designed to trick hardworking taxpayers into handing over sensitive information.