Easy Prey
We often put off changes and schedule them to start on January 1st. Many of these idealistic resolutions fail shortly after beginning, so it is important to be thoughtful when planning so that you can set yourself up for success. Today’s guest is Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps. Leslie is a noted psychologist who authored a number of books, including Insecure in Love, The Insecure in Love Workbook, and Bouncing Back from Rejection. She writes the Authentically You Blog and the Psychology Today Making Change Blog. Additionally, she is a national speaker and hosts a YouTube channel. Show Notes: ...
info_outline Erasing Your Digital Footprint with Jeff JockischEasy Prey
Data is continuously being collected and this information can lead to misleading conclusions about an individual. Without proper context, behavior can be misinterpreted. This underscores the need for data privacy laws and stronger protections against data brokers. Today’s guest is Jeff Jockisch. Jeff is a passionate data privacy researcher dedicated to exploring the evolution of technology, our search behaviors, trust dynamics, and safeguarding of our information. As Managing Partner at ObscureIQ, he specializes in advanced data removal and privacy risk mitigation for enterprises and...
info_outline Executive Recruiter Scams with John SidotiEasy Prey
When a recruiter contacts you, it’s essential to do your homework, verify their sources, and trust your instincts. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. While it can be frustrating to be this skeptical, being cautious can protect you and your finances. Today’s guest is John Sidoti. John is the Senior Director of Information Technology at Social Current. He has over 30 years of experience as an IT generalist with wide and varied experience across all aspects of the IT spectrum. Show Notes: [0:50] - John shares his background and discusses his extensive and varied...
info_outline Human Hacking with Peter WarmkaEasy Prey
Today’s threat actors and social engineers leverage social media to observe individuals’ patterns and habits. They encounter you at a coffee shop or another familiar spot. They begin to establish trust, which makes you more susceptible to their tactics. Today’s guest is Peter Warmka. Peter is a retired CIA officer with over two decades of breaching the security of organizations overseas in pursuit of intelligence. He is the founder of The Counterintelligence Institute, author of two books, conference speaker, consultant, and educator on the dangers of human hacking. Show Notes: ...
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Creating habits of healthy skepticism when receiving texts or emails can prevent you from clicking on phishing links. Everybody is vulnerable online, especially when distracted or in a hurry. But cultivating critical thinking and self-awareness can enhance protection against manipulation. Today’s guest is Perry Carpenter. Perry is an award-winning author, podcaster, and speaker with over two decades in cybersecurity, focusing on how cyber criminals exploit human behavior. As the Chief Human Risk Management Strategist at KnowBe4, Perry helps build robust, human-centric defenses against social...
info_outline Rethinking Online Anonymity with Lance CottrellEasy Prey
In a world of cybersecurity and online privacy, anonymity seems to be the key. VPNs are often promoted as the cure-all to our internet needs. Let’s talk about some of those misconceptions. Today’s guest is Lance Cottrell. Lance founded Anonymizer in 1995 and is an internationally recognized expert in cryptography, online privacy, and internet security. He is the principal author on multiple internet privacy and security technology patents. Lance stayed on as Chief Scientist as Anonymizer was acquired by Intrepid, and now advises start-ups through his platform. Show Notes: [1:09] - Lance...
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Cybersecurity is more crucial than ever. It’s essential that we proactively safeguard our data and recognize that no one is immune to attacks. We are all vulnerable. As malicious actors continually enhance their tactics, we must stay one step ahead by consistently improving our defenses. Today’s guest is Vincent LaRocca. Vincent is the CEO of CyberSecOp with the commitment to protecting sensitive data and mitigating cyber threats. With over two decades of experience, Vincent has successfully steered CyberSecOp to become one of the world’s fastest growing managed security providers,...
info_outline Understanding and Avoiding Triangulation Fraud with Soups RanjanEasy Prey
As consumers, we may realize the need to be vigilant by using two-factor authentication and password managers, but there are so many scams out there that can impersonate legitimate organizations, websites, and people. We really can’t let our guard down. Today’s guest is Soups Ranjan. Soups has over 18 years of experience in software engineering, data science, and risk management. He is the co-founder and CEO of Sardine. This behavior-infused platform offers fraud prevention, compliance, and payment solutions for various industries including banking, online marketplaces, FinTech, crypto,...
info_outline Finding Small Business Fraud with James RatleyEasy Prey
There are a shocking amount of businesses that ultimately fail because of fraud. Many managers and business owners are unaware of their losses because they do not have the systems in place to look for fraud and it may not be their primary concern. Today’s guest is James Ratley. Jim graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. In 1971, he joined the Dallas Police Department as a police officer. He was on numerous task forces with a concentration on major fraud cases. He joined a major forensic accounting practice and was in charge of...
info_outline Truth and Lies with Mark BowdenEasy Prey
Now that so much of our communications are digital, such as texts, emails, and chats, we miss out on the tone and facial expressions to help us understand the intent and content in communication. It’s important to know ourselves well enough to know what areas we’ll be more easily influenced and are susceptible to being deceived. The greater our desire for something to be true, the easier it is for us to be scammed. Today’s guest is Mark Bowden. Mark is a world-renowned body language expert, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. He is the founder of the communication training company,...
info_outlineRansomware may not be on your machines due to your negligence or mistakes. It could be there because of third-party software you are utilizing. Do you know what to do if this happens to you?
Today’s guest is Amitabh Sinha. Amitabh has a PhD in Computer Science and more than 20 years of experience in enterprise software, end-user computing, mobile, and database software. He co-founded Workspot in 2012. He was the General Manager of Enterprise Desktop and Applications at Citrix Systems. In his five years at Citrix, he was the VP of Product Management for XenDesktop and VP of Engineering for the Advanced Solutions Group.
Show Notes:
- [1:03] - Amitabh shares his background and current role and contributions at Workspot.
- [4:35] - The first sign of ransomware in an organization is widespread blue screens and Microsoft machines shutting down.
- [5:40] - How does ransomware find its way to a device?
- [6:59] - Ransomware in your organization is not necessarily your fault.
- [10:37] - Amitabh describes how he has helped client organizations back up and running after having been infected with ransomware.
- [13:11] - Typically, it is not recommended to pay the ransomware, but it may be a viable option for some organizations.
- [15:59] - Most small companies are not prepared to prevent or handle ransomware.
- [17:34] - In most large companies, not all PCs are up to date on security patches.
- [20:41] - Cloud storage is much safer and can be accessed on other physical machines in the event that ransomware shuts down an organization.
- [24:41] - For those who work from home, sometimes multiple machines makes things even more complicated.
- [27:35] - What are you willing to pay to not have something happen? That’s how ransomware takes advantage of people.
- [31:20] - For small companies, there is typically an architectural solution, but that isn’t always viable for large organizations.
- [33:14] - Consider the critical functions of your organizations and what a plan could be if computers were not accessible.
- [34:37] - These types of attacks are more and more frequent.
- [36:44] - Amitabh is confident that AI will make preventing ransomware even more challenging.
- [40:38] - Most people have accepted that a lot, if not all, their information has already been leaked on the internet. But businesses are particularly vulnerable.
- [42:30] - A whole organization can be drastically impacted by just one machine being hit by ransomware.
Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.