0.000000	3.000000	 Tech It From Me is an independent and solo-produced podcast.
3.000000	5.000000	 Welcome to the Tech It From Me podcast.
5.000000	6.000000	 I'm Mike Madole.
6.000000	10.000000	 If you're like most people, you think you're reasonably careful online.
10.000000	12.000000	 You don't click sketchy links.
12.000000	14.000000	 You don't open spam emails.
14.000000	17.000000	 And your passwords are pretty good, right?
17.000000	21.000000	 So why do stories of stolen Netflix accounts,
21.000000	24.000000	 compromised credit cards, and hacked bank logins
24.000000	27.000000	 still keep happening to regular people?
27.000000	29.000000	 Well, here's the truth.
29.000000	32.000000	 Cybercriminals don't need to target you anymore.
32.000000	35.000000	 They use automated tools to scoop up logins,
35.000000	39.000000	 skim data, and steal identities at scale.
39.000000	42.000000	 And most people have no idea how exposed they really are.
42.000000	45.000000	 In this episode, we're going to break it all down.
45.000000	48.000000	 How the bad guys actually get your info,
48.000000	51.000000	 what you're probably doing wrong without even realizing it,
51.000000	53.000000	 and five things you can start doing today
53.000000	56.000000	 to protect yourself and your family.
56.000000	60.000000	 This is the Tech It From Me podcast. Let's go.
60.000000	62.000000	 This is the Tech It From Me podcast.
62.000000	65.000000	 Let's talk about how this stuff really happens.
65.000000	68.000000	 Not the Hollywood version, but the real world tools
68.000000	71.000000	 and tactics used by cybercriminals.
71.000000	74.000000	 There are many methods these malicious actors use,
74.000000	78.000000	 but here are the top five most commonly used methods.
78.000000	80.000000	 Number one, fishing.
80.000000	82.000000	 That's the classic one.
82.000000	85.000000	 An email pretending to be from your bank, Amazon,
85.000000	87.000000	 or Netflix, or others.
87.000000	90.000000	 It says there's a problem with your payment method,
90.000000	93.000000	 or your account was locked, and it provides a link.
93.000000	96.000000	 But the link takes you to a fake login page.
96.000000	100.000000	 You type in your credentials, and bam, they've got your info.
100.000000	103.000000	 The second method is social engineering.
103.000000	105.000000	 Sometimes it's not about tech at all.
105.000000	108.000000	 It's a phone call from tech support,
108.000000	110.000000	 asking for remote access,
110.000000	112.000000	 or someone pretending to be payroll,
112.000000	116.000000	 asking you to verify your direct deposit details.
116.000000	118.000000	 Humans are always the weak point,
118.000000	121.000000	 and the hackers know it.
121.000000	123.000000	 Thirdly, credential stuffing.
123.000000	125.000000	 This one is really sneaky.
125.000000	128.000000	 Let's say you used the same email and password
128.000000	131.000000	 on a random website five years ago,
131.000000	133.000000	 and that site was breached.
133.000000	137.000000	 Hackers take that combo and try it on every major platform.
137.000000	141.000000	 Gmail, Amazon, Facebook, PayPal, you name it.
141.000000	145.000000	 If you reuse that password, you're done for.
145.000000	149.000000	 The fourth method, public Wi-Fi attacks.
149.000000	151.000000	 Here's a classic move.
151.000000	154.000000	 Someone sets up a fake Wi-Fi hotspot at a coffee shop
154.000000	156.000000	 and names it something legit,
156.000000	161.000000	 like Starbucks free Wi-Fi or Tim Horton's Timbits.
161.000000	164.000000	 You connect, and they start intercepting your data.
164.000000	167.000000	 It's called a man-in-a-middle attack,
167.000000	169.000000	 and it's more common than you think.
169.000000	174.000000	 The fifth most common is malicious apps and browser extensions.
174.000000	177.000000	 Not everything happens over email.
177.000000	181.000000	 Sometimes it's a mobile app that asks for way too many permissions,
181.000000	185.000000	 or a browser extension that quietly logs your keystrokes.
185.000000	187.000000	 This stuff isn't hypothetical.
187.000000	191.000000	 I've seen fishing campaigns hit an entire department.
191.000000	196.000000	 I've also seen a company owner fall for fake invoice emails.
196.000000	201.000000	 And these aren't people who, quote, "should have known better."
201.000000	204.000000	 They were simply caught off guard.
204.000000	207.000000	 Now, let's talk about why you, yes, you,
207.000000	210.000000	 are more vulnerable than you think.
210.000000	213.000000	 Most people assume I'm not that important.
213.000000	215.000000	 Nobody's going to want to hack me.
215.000000	218.000000	 They think, I don't have millions in the bank.
218.000000	220.000000	 Why would anyone come after me?
220.000000	223.000000	 But that's not how this works anymore.
223.000000	226.000000	 You're not being personally targeted.
226.000000	231.000000	 You're being scooped up along with thousands of others in automated sweeps
231.000000	233.000000	 that don't care who you are.
233.000000	235.000000	 They just want one thing.
235.000000	236.000000	 Access.
236.000000	238.000000	 Here's the reality.
238.000000	243.000000	 Cybercrime is no longer a guy in a hoodie guessing passwords at three in the morning.
243.000000	245.000000	 It's software. It's bots.
245.000000	251.000000	 It's scripts running through databases of billions of leaked credentials,
251.000000	256.000000	 testing them at scale against every major platform you can think of.
256.000000	259.000000	 It's like someone going down your street with a master key,
259.000000	261.000000	 just trying it on every single door.
261.000000	266.000000	 If your door is weak, or if you reuse the same lock as 15 other people,
266.000000	268.000000	 they're going to get in.
268.000000	270.000000	 So let me give you an example.
270.000000	273.000000	 A few years ago, LinkedIn had a major data breach.
273.000000	277.000000	 Millions of emails and passwords were exposed.
277.000000	283.000000	 Fast forward to today, those credentials are still floating around online.
283.000000	289.000000	 And if you've reused that same LinkedIn password for say Netflix or your Gmail accounts
289.000000	292.000000	 or online banking, guess what?
292.000000	300.000000	 Attackers have tools that will try your LinkedIn combo on every major site automatically.
300.000000	302.000000	 That is what's called credential stuffing.
302.000000	306.000000	 And it works way more often than you'd think it would.
306.000000	308.000000	 And it gets worse.
308.000000	312.000000	 Sometimes your credentials don't even need to be stolen in real time.
312.000000	316.000000	 They can be bought or downloaded from massive dark web dumps
316.000000	319.000000	 like the infamous collection number one breach.
319.000000	326.000000	 That had over 770 million email and password combinations exposed.
326.000000	330.000000	 If you've never checked to see if your email address has shown up in one of these dumps,
330.000000	336.000000	 I strongly suggest a website called HaveIBindPond.com.
336.000000	345.000000	 So that's h-a-v-e-i-b-e-e-n-p-w-n-e-d.com.
345.000000	351.000000	 It's free, it's safe, and it's run by a well-respected security researcher.
351.000000	357.000000	 Just type in your email address, and you might be shocked by how many breaches it's been involved in.
357.000000	359.000000	 I've seen people shrug this off.
359.000000	361.000000	 I've got nothing to hide, they say.
361.000000	364.000000	 But here's the thing, you don't need to have any secrets.
364.000000	369.000000	 You just need to have value and access the things that criminals want.
369.000000	371.000000	 So think about it.
371.000000	375.000000	 Your email account is the recovery point for almost everything.
375.000000	378.000000	 Your Amazon account might have stored credit cards.
378.000000	383.000000	 Your Dropbox might have sensitive work files or personal records.
383.000000	388.000000	 Your Uber account could be used for identity theft and fraud.
388.000000	392.000000	 And once someone gets in, it's not just about theft.
392.000000	394.000000	 It's about control.
394.000000	396.000000	 They can lock you out.
396.000000	398.000000	 They can impersonate you.
398.000000	402.000000	 They can use your email to send phishing scams to your contacts.
402.000000	406.000000	 And they will trust it because it came from you.
406.000000	412.000000	 It's not about paranoia, it's about understanding the scale and automation of today's attacks.
412.000000	417.000000	 You don't have to be a millionaire, you just have to be unprepared.
417.000000	422.000000	 All right, so now that I've scared you, so what can you do?
422.000000	425.000000	 At the beginning, I promised five simple things that you could do.
425.000000	432.000000	 Here are those five simple practical things that will drastically reduce your risk.
432.000000	436.000000	 First off, use a password manager.
436.000000	439.000000	 This is the biggest game changer.
439.000000	442.000000	 I use a software called 1Password.
442.000000	448.000000	 And no, I'm not sponsored, I'm not compensated or affiliated with this company in any way.
448.000000	451.000000	 I just really believe in it.
451.000000	460.000000	 One of the reasons I selected it is because it includes built-in support for MFA or multi-factor authentication.
460.000000	464.000000	 Instead of bouncing between a password vault and an authenticator app,
464.000000	469.000000	 I can generate one-time codes right inside of 1Password.
469.000000	476.000000	 It simplifies my workflow and actually makes me more secure because I'm not tempted to cut corners.
476.000000	479.000000	 Everything syncs across my devices as well.
479.000000	485.000000	 Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Autofill is awesome.
485.000000	491.000000	 If you're still storing passwords in your browser or worse using the same password on multiple sites,
491.000000	494.000000	 you really need to make a switch.
494.000000	499.000000	 Other solid password managers include BitWarden and Dashlane.
499.000000	507.000000	 Even iCloud keychain has improved, but for cross-platform users, 1Password really shines.
507.000000	512.000000	 The second, turn on MFA everywhere you can.
512.000000	517.000000	 Multi-factor authentication means that even if someone steals your password,
517.000000	523.000000	 they still can't get in without a second form of verification, like a code from your phone.
523.000000	527.000000	 Most major sites support this now.
527.000000	534.000000	 Turn it on for your email, banking, social media, absolutely everything where it's available.
534.000000	538.000000	 Third, stop reusing passwords.
538.000000	543.000000	 If one site gets compromised and you've reused that password elsewhere,
543.000000	546.000000	 all those other accounts are now vulnerable.
546.000000	548.000000	 A password manager makes this simple.
548.000000	555.000000	 You can have a unique strong password for every single site and never have to remember any of them.
555.000000	560.000000	 Number four, be skeptical of public Wi-Fi.
560.000000	565.000000	 When you're at a coffee shop or an airport, avoid logging into sensitive accounts.
565.000000	571.000000	 These networks are often poorly secured and in some cases, they're outright malicious.
571.000000	579.000000	 That free airport Wi-Fi might actually be someone running a fake hotspot.
579.000000	583.000000	 In addition to this, use a VPN when you're away from home.
583.000000	592.000000	 If you have to access a public Wi-Fi, a VPN or a virtual private network is your best friend.
592.000000	598.000000	 A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, creating a secure tunnel between your device and the internet.
598.000000	603.000000	 That means even if someone is snooping on the network, they can't see what you're doing.
603.000000	609.000000	 I know VPNs can sound technical or intimidating, but they've become super easy to use.
609.000000	613.000000	 There's lots of great options out there as well.
613.000000	618.000000	 Proton VPN is a solid privacy focus from the creators of Proton Mail.
618.000000	622.000000	 Mullvad, you don't even need to create an account with them.
622.000000	627.000000	 Nord VPN, Express VPN, they're very user friendly and fast.
627.000000	631.000000	 But the one that I use daily, CloudFlare Warp.
631.000000	639.000000	 It's part of CloudFlare's 1.1.1.1 app, and it's available not just on phones, but also on Windows and Mac.
639.000000	643.000000	 I use it on my Mac as part of my regular workflow.
643.000000	648.000000	 Now, technically, Warp isn't a full VPN in a traditional sense.
648.000000	651.000000	 It's more of a secure connection optimizer.
651.000000	660.000000	 It encrypts your traffic, routes it through CloudFlare's global network, and protects you from snooping on unsecured networks.
660.000000	666.000000	 It doesn't let you spoof your location, so it's not meant for streaming or region hopping.
666.000000	672.000000	 But for privacy and security on the go, it's fabulous and it's free.
672.000000	679.000000	 If you're looking for a lightweight option that just works and comes from a company trusted for internet infrastructure,
679.000000	682.000000	 Warp is a great place to start.
682.000000	689.000000	 And don't worry, I'm going to do a future episode specifically dedicated to VPNs, how they work, how to choose the right one,
689.000000	694.000000	 and why some of them do more harm than good, so stay tuned for that.
694.000000	702.000000	 The fifth and final one that I wanted to share here is train yourself to spot fishing.
702.000000	709.000000	 If something feels off, it probably is. Check the sender of an email, look closely at a URL.
709.000000	716.000000	 Don't click on unexpected links, and when in doubt, just go directly to the site in your browser.
716.000000	722.000000	 These days, fishing attacks aren't riddled with typos. They look really good. They look professional.
722.000000	727.000000	 They create urgency, and they rely on people reacting without thinking.
727.000000	731.000000	 Slowing down could save you a lot of grief later on.
731.000000	740.000000	 I want to shift gears now and talk about this from my experience, not just as someone who's tech savvy, but as an IT leader as well.
740.000000	750.000000	 I've worked in IT for a long time, across industries like healthcare, retail, food services, law, even private equity-backed companies.
750.000000	758.000000	 And here's the biggest thing that I've learned. It's never just about the technology. It's always about the people.
758.000000	768.000000	 You can have the best firewall money can buy, endpoint detection tools, humming in the background, encrypted storage, and all the latest patches in place.
768.000000	783.000000	 But if someone on your team clicks a fishing link, if someone reuses their old Yahoo password from 2008, if someone says yes to a fake tech support call pretending to be from the help desk, it's game over.
783.000000	793.000000	 Cybersecurity is a behavioral issue, not just a technical one. And that's why as a leader, my job isn't just to secure systems.
793.000000	798.000000	 It's to make secure behavior easier than insecure behavior.
798.000000	805.000000	 So what that means is giving people password managers so they don't write passwords on sticky notes.
805.000000	812.000000	 Rolling out single sign-on with multi-factor authentication to make login secure and seamless.
812.000000	819.000000	 Running fishing simulations and awareness training, not to shame people, but to educate them.
819.000000	826.000000	 And building a culture where it's okay to ask, "Hey, this email looks weird. Do you mind taking a look at it?"
826.000000	833.000000	 You'd be surprised how many breaches start with someone too afraid just to speak up. And look, I get it.
833.000000	843.000000	 Most people just want to do their job. They don't wake up thinking about security. But if we give them the right tools and make the secure choice, the easy choice, they will take it.
843.000000	854.000000	 That's why I recommend password managers. That's why I push for MFA everywhere. That's why I advocate for tools like Cloud Warp for mobile and desktop users on the go.
854.000000	863.000000	 Because good tools make good habits stick. And I've seen firsthand what happens when those habits are not there.
863.000000	869.000000	 There was one case I remember. A user clicked on a fishing email that looked like a docusign request.
869.000000	877.000000	 The branding was flawless. The urgency, it was believable. They entered their Microsoft 365 credentials into this fake page.
877.000000	885.000000	 And within minutes, their inbox was taken over and used to launch internal fishing campaigns targeting finance.
885.000000	893.000000	 Our department caught it. We contained it. But not before it created confusion, risk, and a whole lot of cleanup work.
893.000000	897.000000	 And that was just one person, one click.
897.000000	911.000000	 So when I tell people to take this stuff seriously, it's not theoretical. I've seen the domino effect. And I've seen how just one extra layer of protection, one good decision can stop that domino from falling.
911.000000	921.000000	 Alright, let's wrap this up. Here's what I hope you take away from today's episode. Cybercrime today is automated, scalable, and indiscriminate.
921.000000	935.000000	 You don't have to be richer famous to be a target. The most common attacks don't rely on high end hacking. They rely on people reusing passwords, skipping MFA, or clicking on things that appear to be legitimate.
935.000000	944.000000	 Your behavior matters more than your firewall. So here's my challenge to you. Start with just one thing today.
944.000000	957.000000	 Turn on MFA for your email. Install and use a password manager, and let it start handling your logins. Try Cloud Flare Warp on your phone or laptop next time you're on public Wi-Fi.
957.000000	964.000000	 Small steps now are a lot easier than dealing with identity theft, or account compromise later.
964.000000	973.000000	 And remember, this stuff isn't just for IT people. If you use the internet, you're in the game. Might as well play defense.
973.000000	987.000000	 If you found this episode helpful, feel free to share it with a friend or a coworker. You can find all episodes and my blog articles at TechItForMe.com, or follow this show on your favorite podcast app.
987.000000	992.000000	 Thanks for listening. This has been the Tech It From Me podcast.
992.000000	996.000000	 Tech It From Me is an independent and solo-produced podcast.
996.000000	997.172187	 [BLANK_AUDIO]