by Gene Reich | Aug 28, 2025 | Pretexting, Scattered Spider, Social Engineering, Trends
Since 2023, the threat group Scattered Spider has repeatedly persuaded help-desk staff across multiple organizations to reset credentials over the phone without verifying identity, bypassing multi-factor authentication (MFA) in several high-profile breaches. This was...
by Gene Reich | Aug 20, 2025 | AI Fraud Prevention, Cybersecurity Threats, Scattered Spider, Social Engineering, Trends
Replacing Voice with Proven Identity The recent rise in impersonation-based fraud has brought renewed scrutiny to how identity is verified during routine digital interactions. As discussed in our earlier analysis of Sam Altman’s July 2025 warning, artificial...
by Gene Reich | Aug 19, 2025 | AI Fraud Prevention, Cybersecurity Threats, Reader's Choice, Social Engineering, Trends, Vishing
Transitioning to Identity-Verified Communication Last week, we examined how identity-based fraud is reshaping security priorities across IT, finance, and vendor management. That discussion began with a warning from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, delivered to regulators and...
by Gene Reich | Jul 15, 2025 | Cybersecurity Threats, Ephemeral Messaging, Secure Communication, Trends
The Next Frontier in Cyber Defense Cybersecurity, for much of its history, has focused on systems. It has invested in firewalls, intrusion detection, endpoint protection, and increasingly sophisticated authentication methods. But as threat actors evolve, so too do...
by Gene Reich | Jul 1, 2025 | Cybersecurity for Banks, Financial Services Security Best Practices, Quishing, Secure Communication, Trends
Rethinking Support Verification in Financial Services Support channels in financial institutions continue to serve as frequent targets for identity-based fraud. Despite advances in perimeter security and fraud analytics, the processes used to verify customers during...
by Gene Reich | Jun 26, 2025 | Cybersecurity Threats, Marks & Spencer, Scattered Spider, Secure Communication, Trends
The hacking collective known as Scattered Spider has shattered its previous benchmarks for financial harm, targeting major corporations across industries. What began as a series of high-profile ransom demands has escalated into a global disruption economy. The total...
