CyberWire Daily - A social engineering carol.

Episode Date: December 25, 2024

Gather 'round for a holiday treat like no other! In this festive edition of Only Malware in the Building, we present A Social Engineering Carol—a cunning twist on the classic Dickens tale, penned and created by our very own Dave Bittner. Follow a modern-day Scrooge as they navigate the ghostly consequences of phishing, vishing, and smishing in this holiday cybersecurity fable. Don't miss the accompanying video, packed with holiday cheer and cyber lessons to keep you safe this season! Check it out now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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And I have created for you all a social engineering carol. Are you ready? I'm ready. Ready. All right. Sit back and enjoy. It goes like this. Click was careless to begin with. No one doubted it. Careless with his passwords, with his emails, with the relentless training reminders from IT he swept aside with a shrug.

Ebenezer Click was indifferent to cybersecurity right up until the night the spirits came calling to show him the vulnerabilities of the past, present, and the chilling risks of a future unsecured. One foggy December evening, as he's working late, Ebenezer is visited by a series of phantoms, ghosts of social engineering to be exact. Each spirit arrives to teach him a lesson on the costly dangers of his negligence and the profound consequences of overlooking cybersecurity. The first ghost, a wizened figure draped in a familiar nostalgic glow, appears and takes Ebenezer on a journey through past social engineering attacks.

Look, Ebenezer, at the lessons from the past. The ghost beckons, showing him infamous breaches like the 2014 Sony hack. In this case, just a few unguarded emails from employees allowed hackers to infiltrate and exploit weaknesses within the entire company. Backdoors were found, sensitive information was leaked, and reputations were tarnished. Sensitive information was leaked, and reputations were tarnished. The spirit then takes Ebenezer to a simpler time, his very own early days at the company, when he received training on password protection and phishing.

Yet he recalls that he dismissed it, even using the same password across platforms. This lack of caution, the ghost points out, has put him at risk ever since, illustrating how old habits linger, silently eroding his defenses. Next comes the ghost of social engineering present, a sharp-eyed phantom who peers over Ebenezer's shoulder at his computer. Ebenezer, let us look at the present, the ghost says, computer. Ebenezer, let us look at the present, the ghost says, showing him the stark reality of today's cyber landscape. In a blink, Ebenezer watches himself in real time, clicking on a suspicious link in a fake LinkedIn invitation. The screen shows his profile, personal details,

and even confidential work contacts copied and shared. Without a second thought, you let an attacker into your life and into your company. The ghost says, waving its hand to reveal an avalanche of phishing messages sent out using Ebenezer's contact list. With each click by a colleague, the attacker gains a foothold in the company network, positioning malware to extract information and map out the organization. The ghost also takes him to the world of his online presence, positioning malware to extract information and map out the organization. The ghost also takes him to the world of his online presence. Posts about work and conference locations, information about his family and even a selfie he took at his desk with passwords visible on sticky notes.

All of these details fuel the attacker's arsenal. Social media, Ebenezer, is like handing your keys to a stranger, warns the ghost. Finally, a hooded figure, the ghost of social engineering future, shows him what lies ahead if he continues down this path of neglect. Ebenezer is shown a devastating scenario, where his failure to heed warnings leads to a full-blown data breach. Critical company secrets are leaked and customers' trust crumbles.

He sees the news headlines, the frantic calls, and the massive financial loss. His own name appears in the headlines marked by scandal and negligence. Ebenezer Click, cause of largest data breach in Christmas Carol history.

Desperate to save his company's reputation, he struggles to recover, but the damage to the company's name and its customer base is irreversible. Is this truly my fate? He pleads with the ghost, who says nothing, but points toward his inbox,

where he has countless unread security updates and ignored training sessions. When Ebenezer wakes, he's struck by the realization that he's been granted a second chance. With newfound resolve, Ebenezer rushes to his office window, throws it open and calls out to a passing intern below. What day is it? He shouts, excitement in his voice. Why, it's Cybersecurity Awareness Day, sir, the intern replies, puzzled. Then there's still time,

Ebenezer exclaims, grinning. Time to secure every last device, every password, every soul here. He rushes back inside, and from that day on, he's a changed man, one who's vigilant wise and as ready to protect his company as he is to help others understand the importance of cyber security

ebenezer click once careless now leads with awareness and purpose embodying the spirit of a new kind of holiday cheer a world of workspaces more secure, employees more aware, and systems more resilient, today and every day that follows.