Hacking Humans

N2K Networks

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Hacking Humans Podcast

Deception, influence, and social engineering in the world of cyber crime.

21 HR AGO

Scammers beware, the world is watching!

This week, Dave and Joe share some listener follow-up from Clayton about credit card fraud and the potential issues with automatic update services that some cards provide. Dave's story is on sextortion scams targeting spouses, where scammers claim a partner is cheating and provide links to fake "proof." Joe has two stories this week, the first one is on how Police in Lebanon County arrested an alleged grandparent scammer after a sting operation. Joe's second story is on scam victims being compensated under a new Labor plan in Australia, which would fine banks, telcos, and social media platforms up to $50 million for failing to meet anti-scam obligations. Our catch of the day comes from Reddit, where someone posted a text message thread of their conversation with a scammer about a potential job. Links to the stories: Sextortion scams now use your "cheating" spouse’s name as a lure Police in Lebanon County arrest alleged grandparent scammer after sting operation Scam victims to be compensated under Labor plan to fine banks and social media platforms $50m Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@thecyberwire.com.

31 min
2 DAYS AGO

machine learning (noun) [Word Notes]

Enjoy this special encore episode. A programming technique where the developer doesn't specify each step of the algorithm in code, but instead teaches the algorithm to learn from the experience.

6 min
12 SEPT

Baked goods and bad actors.

Maria Varmazis, host of N2K's daily space show T-Minus, joins Dave and Joe to share the story on the "Hello pervert" sextortion scam, where scammers now use threats of Pegasus spyware and photos of victims' homes to intensify their demands. We have quite a bit of follow-up today. Scott from Australia shared how self-service checkouts now display scam warnings when purchasing gift cards to prevent fraud. Jim highlighted a vulnerability in YubiKey encryption libraries that allows key cloning with an oscilloscope, while a former US Marshal reminded us that Zelle is marketed specifically for transfers between friends and family. Joe's story is on Loria Stern, a small bakery owner who fell victim to a counterfeit check scam after receiving a $7,500 payment for a large cupcake order that was later halved, resulting in her bank withdrawing the funds. Dave's story follows the scams targeting grieving individuals on Facebook, where cybercriminals use fake funeral live stream links or donation requests to steal money and credit card details. Our catch of the day comes from listener Anne, who shares a phishing email sent to a friend. The email emphasized the importance of thorough testing in the software development lifecycle and came with a suspicious PDF attachment, likely containing a malicious link. Anne hopes the campaign has zero success. Links to the stories: “Hello pervert” sextortion scam includes new threat of Pegasus—and a picture of your home LA bakery owner takes big financial hit after receiving scam order of 1,000 cupcakes, paid for with a $7.5K counterfeit check — her bank’s promise of protection fell through Fake funeral “live stream” scams target grieving users on Facebook 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@thecyberwire.com.

43 min
10 SEPT

intelligence (noun) [Word Notes]

Enjoy this special encore episode. The process of turning raw information into intelligence products that leaders use to make decisions with.

6 min
5 SEPT

Illusions & ill-intent.

Maria Varmazis, host of N2K's daily space show T-Minus, joins Dave and Joe to share the story of how the ease of registering an LLC in Colorado has led to a surge in fraudulent businesses. She discusses how residents receiving suspicious mail addressed to fake LLCs registered at their homes are overwhelming the state's Secretary of State with thousands of complaints. Joe's story is on how scammers used a seaside hotel and former bank offices on the Isle of Man to defraud victims in China out of millions of dollars. Dave's story follows a phishing campaign where attackers impersonated HR departments by sending fake mid-year employee engagement surveys to steal Microsoft Office 365 credentials. Our catch of the day comes from Mitch, who received a scam email claiming to be an invitation to join the "Great Illuminati Brotherhood." The email promises wealth, fame, and protection, urging the recipient to contact them to solve financial problems and join the so-called "Elite Family." Links to the stories: Colorado has a backlog of shady LLCs to investigate China scam run from Isle of Man Mid-Year Engagement Trap: How Fake Surveys Are Used in Phishing 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@thecyberwire.com.

39 min
3 SEPT

RATs in the tunnel: Uncovering the cyber underworld. [OMITB]

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 the abuse of legitimate services for malware delivery. Proofpoint has seen an increase in the abuse of tools like ScreenConnect and NetSupport, as well as Cloudflare Tunnel abuse and the use of IP filtering. They have also observed a rise in financially motivated malware delivery using TryCloudflare Tunnel abuse, focusing on remote access trojans (RATs) like Xworm and AsyncRAT. Today we look at how Cloudflare tunnels are used to evade detection and how they have evolved their tactics by incorporating obfuscation techniques, with ongoing research to identify the threat actors involved.

38 min
3 SEPT

SaaS (noun) [Word Notes]

Enjoy this special edition of Word Notes: A cloud-based software distribution method where app infrastructure, performance, and security are maintained by a service provider and accessible to users, typically via subscription, from any device connected to the internet.

6 min
29 AUG

Beware of the deceivers.

This week Joe and Dave share some listener follow up from Tim, who writes in to give some more information on a payment apps story in episode 302. Joe's story is on Suzy Enos, whose sister died, only for scammers to impersonate a family member and take over her phone number, leading to fraudulent charges on her accounts. Enos fought back to secure her late sister's assets and raise awareness about protecting accounts after a loved one's death. Dave's story follows how scammers exploit the "Automatic Billing Update" (ABU) program to enroll people in fake subscriptions and charge them even after their credit cards are replaced. To avoid this, you need to inform your issuer that it's a subscription scam and request them to block the merchant from using ABU to get your new card number. Our catch of the day comes from listener Felipe, who writes in share a letter he got in the mail where scammers were trying to convince him that he is owed money from a family member he has never heard of before. Links to the stories: Her sister died. Then scammers took over her phone number and started racking up bills. Mastodon Royce Williams The little-known credit card program that lets companies share your information Keep your cards on file always up-to-date MasterCard Automatic Billing Updater Service Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@thecyberwire.com.

45 min

03/11/2022

What's Your Problem trailer.

We’re sharing a preview of a podcast we enjoy called “What’s Your Problem?” Every week on What’s Your Problem, entrepreneurs talk about the future they’re trying to build and the problems they have to solve to get there. How do you build cars that can actually drive themselves? How do you use technology to bring down the cost of airfares? And how do you teach a computer to understand sports? Hosted by former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein, What’s Your Problem? helps listeners understand the problems really smart people are trying to solve right now. Listen to What’s Your Problem? at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/wyphumans

S1, E1

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2 min

Deception, influence, and social engineering in the world of cyber crime.

Creator

N2K Networks
Years Active

2018 - 2024
Episodes

580
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2024 N2K Networks, Inc. 706761
Show Website

Hacking Humans