Erich Kron, Freelance Journalist Profile

Articles

Salt Typhoon: The Hidden Hand Behind the Telecom Gift Card Scam?

2 weeks ago | hackernoon.com | Erich Kron

Security researchers have warned for years about the increasing sophistication of state-sponsored hacking groups, particularly those from China.
Q2 Phishing Report: The Latest Scams Exploiting Human Trust

2 weeks ago | cdotrends.com | Erich Kron

Phishing attacks just keep getting craftier — it’s a nonstop arms race out there with cybercrooks targeting unsuspecting individuals through a range of strategies aimed at pilfering personal and financial data. Whether in the guise of fake news, deceptive device codes, or spoof text messages, cybercrooks consistently adapt their methods to prey on human trust and curiosity. Below is an in-depth look at some of the craftiest phishing tactics to watch out for in Q2.
Balancing Security and Efficiency: The Federal IT Dilemma in the AI Era

3 weeks ago | meritalk.com | Erich Kron

By Erich Kron, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4The federal IT landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. Budget constraints and staffing reductions are pushing agencies to do more with less. For chief information officers (CIOs) and senior policymakers, the challenge is clear: maintain operational excellence and strong cybersecurity defenses while embracing tools that boost efficiency and watching the budget. Enter artificial intelligence.
Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies: Uniting Human Risk Management and Security Awareness Training

4 weeks ago | securitytoday.com | Erich Kron

Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems.
Combating misinformation strategy: Verify, then trust

1 month ago | dig-in.com | Erich Kron

Technological advancements have rapidly outpaced our human ability to adapt. That presents an opportunity for malignant actors to easily present false information in increasingly credible ways. These hackers and privacy thieves exploit our struggle to adapt to a world that's changing faster than our minds can respond. But that doesn't mean we're helpless or hopeless.
Malicious memes: How cybercriminals use humour to spread malware

1 month ago | securitybrief.news | Erich Kron

Internet memes and viral content have become a universal language in online culture. They're easily shareable, often humorous, and can spread rapidly across platforms. Whether it's a clever one-liner on a cat photo or a parody video poking fun at daily life, memes grab our attention and emotions in an instant. But this same virality and cultural resonance make memes an attractive tool for cybercriminals and threat actors.
Advancing Security Training With Human Risk Management

1 month ago | securityboulevard.com | Erich Kron

As security professionals, we’ve watched organizations invest millions of dollars in sophisticated security technologies over the years. Intrusion detection and prevention, EDR, SIEM, zero-trust network access — the technological arsenal continues to expand. Yet despite these advancements, human nature remains the most consistently vulnerable security risk.
behavioral risk Archives

1 month ago | securityboulevard.com | Erich Kron

Cybersecurity education is evolving from simple knowledge transfer to measurable risk reduction as the human risk factor is recognized ...
How Organizations Can Leverage Cyber Insurance Effectively

2 months ago | darkreading.com | Erich Kron

COMMENTARYIt is not news that cyberattacks are considered a top global concern. In 2024, the average financial cost of cyber incidents worldwide was $4.88 million. In the US, the average was even higher: $9.36 million. The ramifications of a cyberattack are more than just the obvious ones. The damage to infrastructure, lost revenue, attorney fees, incident response, and the resulting security enhancements make up the other half of that impact.
Not so innocent: Malware-laden memes on the rise

2 months ago | securitymagazine.com | Erich Kron

Internet memes offer good-natured entertainment through a witty combination of text, images and videos addressing mainstream culture and trending issues. Often considered harmless at face value, malicious code could lurk within these internet memes, spreading like a flu before anyone realizes the infection. Memes can be easily distributed among groups and communities, disseminated quickly via social media handles, messaging apps and forums to a vast audience within minutes.