When you combine the common old school methods of grifting with the technological advancements of hacking and social research, you have social engineering. In essence, it’s the art of taking advantage of people’s hopes, dreams, secrets, and all of the information that’s available on their computers, their social media profiles, and even when they’re simply typing stuff on their computer at coffee shops and turning it all into a profile that the con men can attack. It’s human hacking. It’s brilliant and dangerous. The tools of the trade: ads, emails, phishing, shoulder surfing. The people:…

I hate spam. Who doesn’t? I tend to hate it more than others because a relative fell victim to phishing a couple of years ago, so I tend to actually look at phishing emails to see what’s happening in the world of Nigerian Princes and people trapped in London. This particular email struck me as oddly awesome simply because of the “Trust Factor” (an important component in the world of phishing) that they employed at the end. “This message is never sent without Google Mail Accounts Trust & Safety Authenticator.” The message was sent, therefore the Authenticator must be working in full force. The…

With nearly 70% of the US adult population accessing the internet via their mobile devices, it has become a strong play for the devious phishermen in the world. Security is always a concern when getting online, but on devices where encryption and bouncing internet connections happen regularly, phishing is the biggest issue. This graphic by our friends at MyLookout puts it all into perspective. Are you taking the right precautions when it comes to mobile surfing? Click to enlarge. …

There has been some concern over the past few days about a potential security hole in iTunes, although reviews by Apple and PayPal show that no vulnerability exists. The problem actually relates to a good old fashioned phishing scam, a common, non-technical approach to ripping people off online. The scam involves users following links or instructions in emails advising them to either change a password, click a link that ultimately leads them to malware or make some other inadvisable alteration to their account. TechCrunch first covered the story yesterday, although the article seems to accuse…