Page 14 – BlackCloak | Protect Your Digital Life™

bnn Breaking: The Evolution of Cybercrime: From Ransomware to Data Extortion

February 26, 2024/in /by Rosa Lear

Imagine waking up to an email that threatens to leak your customers’ private data unless you pay a hefty ransom. This scenario is becoming all too familiar for businesses around the globe. The cybercrime landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, shifting from traditional ransomware attacks to a more menacing form of data extortion. Experts like Joe McMann from Binary Defense and Chris Pierson from BlackCloak are raising alarms about this trend, which aims to exploit the reputational damage to coerce organizations into compliance.

Read the rest of the article here.

BlackCloak Partners with Finch Cyber to Deliver Personal Cybersecurity Defense

February 21, 2024/in Press Release/by Rosa Lear

Companies Partner to Enhance Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection for High-Net-Worth-Individuals and Corporate Executives

ORLANDO, FL, February 21, 2024 – Today, BlackCloak, the pioneer in Digital Executive Protection and Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy for executives and senior leaders, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices, announced a strategic partnership with Finch Cyber, a renowned cybersecurity firm known for innovative approaches to protecting businesses and individuals against digital threats. The partnership aims to create a comprehensive security solution that addresses the unique challenges faced by executives, high-profile individuals, and their families.

Under the partnership, BlackCloak and Finch Cyber will collaborate to offer services, providing a seamless, end-to-end personal cybersecurity and privacy protection solution. This collaboration will leverage BlackCloak’s expertise in Digital Executive Protection with Finch Cyber’s advanced training, resilience and personal cyber defense technologies to offer protection against a wide range of digital threats, including hacking, identity theft, and online harassment.

Rob Duncan, VP of Sales at BlackCloak, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “This is an exciting partnership with Finch Cyber, the company shares our commitment to providing top-tier personal cybersecurity solutions. This partnership is a significant milestone and underscores our dedication to expanding our services and offering our clients the most comprehensive Digital Executive Protection available.”

Oliver Kersh, Founder and Managing Director from Finch Cyber also commented on the partnership, highlighting the relationship between the two companies: “Finch Cyber specializes in the human layer of cybersecurity, and this partnership with BlackCloak represents an exciting new chapter in our mission to protect individuals and organizations from cyber threats. By combining our resources and expertise, we can now offer an end-to-end suite of services designed to protect our clients’ people, from sales teams through to key executives.”

The partnership between BlackCloak and Finch Cyber comes at a critical time, as high-net-worth individuals and corporate executives increasingly become targets for cybercriminals. By providing a robust solution that addresses the specific needs of this demographic, BlackCloak and Finch Cyber are leading the way in personal digital security and privacy protection.

For more information about BlackCloak and Finch Cyber’s partnership, or to learn more about their services, please visit blackcloak.io and FinchCyber.com.

About Finch Cyber

Finch Cyber is one of the UK’s only cyber security companies dedicated solely to enhancing the human-layer of cyber security. By leveraging offensive expertise, Finch provides a range of services to improve organizations’ cyber security culture, bolster their employee education in personal cyber defense, and work closely with key executives to protect them, their families and their organizations against threats to their privacy, security and finances.

About BlackCloak

BlackCloak protects corporate executives and high-profile individuals from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks. Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ Platform is a holistic solution including mobile and desktop apps as well as concierge support. Executives and high-profile individuals get peace of mind knowing their family, reputation, and finances are secured. Companies rest assured that their brand, intellectual property, data, and finances are protected against threats coming through executives without having to invade their personal lives. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io, and follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter.

BlackCloak Media Contact:

Mike Sias

[email protected]

Finch Cyber Media Contact:

[email protected]

KTLA 5: Can you spot the signs of a romance scam?

February 15, 2024/in /by Rosa Lear

Even if you’re looking for love in all the right places, scam artists are ready to swoop in and steal your heart – and your cash.

They use the speed and excitement of online dating to hook you in and make you fall fast.

“They’re going to want time to move forward really, really quickly. And spotting that is really imperative,” said Dr. Chris Pierson, a cybersecurity expert with BlackCloak.io.

He says crooks might request crypto or a wire transfer of funds to help them out of a tricky situation or to help them get closer to you.

Read the rest of the article here: https://ktla.com/news/can-you-spot-the-signs-of-a-romance-scam/

SC Media: Ransomware payments breached $1 billion in 2023, a first

February 9, 2024/in /by Rosa Lear

Ransomware attacks netted payments exceeding $1 billion globally for the first time in 2023, according to data published Wednesday.

Zero-day exploits, including the MOVEit hack, the spread of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) and “big game hunting” attacks seeking ransomware payments of $1 million or more helped drive record-breaking numbers, according to blockchain analysts at Chainalysis.

The $1.1 billion in ransomware payments tracked in 2023 represents a rebound from relatively low ransomware revenue in 2022. Total ransomware payments that year dropped to $567 million from $983 million in 2021.

Read the full article here: https://www.scmagazine.com/news/ransomware-payments-breached-1-billion-in-2023-a-first?nbd=Lz-Z0oABJRWPmOuPHfeI&nbd_source=mrkto&mkt_tok=MTg4LVVOWi02NjAAAAGRKcPQ1i0csnXzGvaA8cwCJvbC6A6xk-42paVnKi3wuTdPmANPc1wBHqEi7xdEY6j89RlKiykxGWBkGEJJODVzuO8f_Em_C70rykjpEqQMbWoW

USA Today: When cybercrime leaves the web: FBI warns that scammers could come right to your door

February 1, 2024/in News & Media/by Rosa Lear

Betty Lin-Fisher; USA TODAY

International scammers are becoming more brazen by sending in-person couriers – also known as mules – to people’s homes in an attempt to trick victims out of their money.

In an alert this week, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported an uptick from May to December of 2023 in a scam, which instructs victims to liquidate their assets. Unsuspecting people are usually instructed to convert their assets to cash, or gold, silver and other precious metals, as a supposed safe way to protect their funds. The scam, often targeting senior citizens, has led to losses of over $55 million, the agency said.

What is new about this scam?

The escalation and change to in-person tactics for scammers, who usually “hide behind the veil of the Internet” or remote countries, is what is different about the latest scheme, said Chris Pierson, CEO of BlackCloak, an Orlando, Florida-based cybersecurity firm.

Read the full article here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/01/31/fbi-warning-cybercriminals-couriers/72408046007/

ITSP MAGAZINE: Beyond The Boardroom: Safeguarding Leadership With Dual Front Executive Defense

January 25, 2024/in News & Media/by Rosa Lear

A Brand Story Conversation With Marco Ciappelli, Sean Martin, BlackCloak CEO And Founder, Chris Pierson, And Roland Cloutier, Former CSO Of TikTok And ADP

In this engaging podcast, cybersecurity leaders, Roland Cloutier and Chris Pierson, discuss with Marco and Sean the rising digital threats that executives face. With recent advancements in AI, phishing attacks and cyber crime have become sophisticated and harder to spot. The podcast underlines the importance of protecting the “executive digital space”—not just at the individual executive’s level, but also their families, considering the potentially detrimental impacts they can have on organizations at large.

The two experts point out that being aware of cyber threats and diligently safeguarding precious data isn’t enough. They propose a holistic approach to security, noting that the minimal knowledge most executives have about cyber threats plays to the advantage of cyber criminals. The alarming yet enlightening discussion encompasses physical security, AI-assisted scamming, artificially-created voice calls, and more.

A practical solution offered in the conversation is to outsource security measures to a reliable third-party for monitoring and immediate response to threats, thereby safeguarding everyone linked to the executive. The unique aspect here is the emphasis on a personalized, bespoke defense strategy that takes into consideration the differing security requirements of individuals. Ultimately, the mission here is to provide a safer cyber environment for executives and their families without impacting their personal lives.

Join this intriguing podcast and learn how to fortify not just your organization’s, but your executive’s life from cyber attacks.

Listen here: https://www.itspmagazine.com/their-stories/beyond-the-boardroom-safeguarding-leadership-with-dual-front-executive-defense-a-blackcloak-brand-story-with-chris-pierson-and-roland-cloutier

Guests

Chris Pierson, Founder and CEO of BlackCloak [@BlackCloakCyber]
On Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/drchristopherpierson/
On Twitter | https://twitter.com/drchrispierson

Roland, Cloutier, Former CSO of TikTok and ADP
On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolandcloutier/
On Twitter | https://twitter.com/CSORoland

CRAIN CURRENCY: Essential steps for protection in aftermath of recent data breaches

January 23, 2024/in News & Media/by Rosa Lear

Family offices have recently been caught up in at least two major data breaches — involving Corewell Health, a major health care provider in Michigan, and the Real Estate Wealth Network — potentially exposing some of their most private information to hackers and criminals. Since the breaches involve a third party, family offices are left with few options except to harden their cybersecurity procedures and keep an eye out for suspicious activity, security experts say.

At the end of last year, cybersecurity breaches at both a health management platform and a software company contracted by Corewell affected in total more than 2 million residents of Michigan. The data revealed included name, address, date of birth, medical information such as diagnosis and mental/physical condition, prescription information, as well as insurance and billing information.

And of late December, it was revealed that 1.5 billion records containing information on property owners, sellers, investors and internal logging data were leaked in a data breach of the Real Estate Wealth Network. Among those affected were a slew of wealth investors such as Elon Musk and celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and Dave Chappelle.

Read the full article here: https://www.craincurrency.com/family-office-management/essential-steps-protection-aftermath-recent-data-breaches

CNBC: CRYPTO WORLD New details emerge about SEC’s X account hack, including SIM swap

January 23, 2024/in News & Media/by Rosa Lear

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday that a SIM swap attack was to blame for the breach of its official account on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this month.

On Jan. 9, an unauthorized party gained access to the @SECGov account and displayed a fake post claiming the agency had approved the first-ever spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds. The cryptocurrency market moved following the unauthorized post, with bitcoin prices initially shooting up to nearly $48,000 from a low that day of just above $45,000. Then, after the SEC clarified that it had not yet approved the bitcoin ETF, prices fell below $46,000.

Read the full article here: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/22/new-details-emerge-about-secs-x-account-hack-including-sim-swap.html

Schwab Network: The Calamitous Damage Of Cyberattacks

January 11, 2024/in /by Rosa Lear

We’re seeing that calamitous damage that happens out in the social media space, and that’s what we saw yesterday with the SEC’s official X account being compromised, notes Dr. Chris Pierson. He discusses the importance of cybersecurity measures right now, as well as concerns about government cyberattack incidents. He highlights com cybersecurity stocks including PANW, FTNT, and CRWD. He then goes over cyberattack disclosures and risk management in today’s market, in addition to cybersecurity trends to monitor in 2024. Tune in to find out more about the stock market today.

Watch the full video here (https://schwabnetwork.com/video/the-calamitous-damage-of-cyberattacks) or below.

Daily Mail: Tech expert reveals how boom in AI has enabled hackers to create sordid real-life scenarios to target victims online - and what you can do to avoid being extorted

January 8, 2024/in /by Rosa Lear

Online hackers are extorting victims out of thousands of dollars by creating sordid scenarios and luring in unsuspecting internet users

In one recent case, Kai Zhuang, 17, was plucked from a Utah mountainside after anonymous scammers convinced him to isolate himself
Once he was alone, kidnappers sent a ransom demand to his parents in China to be paid for his return
The rouse is part of an ongoing series of scams that are exploiting individuals around the world

Read the article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12924023/virtual-kidnapping-expert-AI-enabled-hackers-online.html