United States Reported Less Data Breaches in 2020 but with much more Expensive Successful Hacker Attacks
According to the annual report of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), 1,108 cyber incidents were reported in 2020 and the number casualties from these incidents was close to 301 million people, a drop of 66% over the previous year.
The social engineering technique of impersonation also helped attackers reap massive profits:
The volume of business fraud and hacking by corporate e-mail systems (BECs) reported to the FBI in 2020 was US$ 1.8 Billion – a figure that reflects half of all cyber damage in monetary terms.
“The trend away from mass data breaches and toward more precise and sophisticated cyberattacks doesn’t mean businesses can relax. Just the opposite. They need to learn whole new ways of protecting their data.”
– James E. Lee, ITRC COO
Read more about Examples and Numbers of Social Engineering Hacker Attacks ›
Save Your Company from Social Engineering Attacks Like that
Register and Get your Personalized Free Exposure Report NOW
and See your where your Company is Exposed to Hackers
Recently Published on our Blog
☁️🔍 Free Cloud Misconfiguration Scanners You’ll Wish You Tried Earlier ☁️🔍
Cloud misconfigurations remain the #1 cause of breaches in 2025 – and the worst part is, most could have been avoided with the right tools. Here are some free scanners that every CISO should have in their arsenal:
1️⃣ ScoutSuite – Multi-cloud security auditing tool by NCC Group.
🔗 https://github.com/nccgroup/ScoutSuite
2️⃣ Prowler – AWS, Azure, and GCP security best practices scanner.
🔗 https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler
3️⃣ CloudSploit by Aqua – Continuous configuration monitoring for major cloud providers.
🔗 https://github.com/aquasecurity/cloudsploit
4️⃣ Checkov – Policy-as-code scanner for IaC (Terraform, Kubernetes, CloudFormation).
🔗 https://github.com/bridgecrewio/checkov
5️⃣ Cloud Custodian – Rules engine for governance and compliance enforcement.
🔗 https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian
⚡These tools highlight risky IAM roles, exposed buckets, insecure defaults, and weak policies – the same gaps attackers exploit.
At AUMINT.io, we look at the other side of the coin – simulating how attackers exploit the human misconfigurations through phishing, vishing, and social engineering. Because even a perfectly hardened cloud is vulnerable if an employee gives access away.
🔗 Curious how exposed your human layer really is? Book a free demo
#CloudSecurity #CISO #CyberSecurity #ThreatIntelligence #AUMINT
PipeMagic Malware Exposes How Easily Critical Systems Can Be Hijacked
🚨 PipeMagic Malware Threatens Critical Industrial Systems
💡 PipeMagic targets pipeline management systems, manipulating valves, monitoring operations, and hiding in plain sight.
⚠️ What makes it dangerous? It combines technological exploits with human errors, bypassing traditional IT defenses to compromise industrial operations.
📊 Most organizations focus on IT security while leaving operational technology exposed. Attackers know OT networks are the true leverage points.
🔍 Employee actions are just as critical – executing one malicious command can give attackers full operational control.
🔥 Mitigation requires a dual approach: strengthen OT defenses and train employees to spot sophisticated attacks through recurring, realistic simulations.
👥 AUMINT Trident provides these simulations, tracking vulnerabilities and turning employees into active defenders before attacks succeed.
📅 Protect both your workforce and industrial systems now – book a session here: https://calendly.com/aumint/aumint-intro
.
#CISO #IndustrialSecurity #CyberSecurity #OperationalTechnology #FraudPrevention #HumanFactor #RiskManagement #CriticalInfrastructure
🕵️♂️ 5 Free Zero-Day Trackers Every CISO Needs Handy 🕵️♂️
Zero-days remain one of the biggest blind spots for security teams. Staying ahead means knowing where to track active vulnerabilities before they hit mainstream feeds. Here are 5 free resources every CISO should keep in their toolkit:
1️⃣ CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog – Actively exploited vulnerabilities updated continuously.
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
2️⃣ MITRE CVE Database – The definitive catalog of vulnerabilities, including emerging zero-days.
https://cve.mitre.org/
3️⃣ Google Project Zero – Research group uncovering and publishing zero-day findings.
https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/
4️⃣ ZDI (Zero Day Initiative) – Public advisories on discovered and responsibly disclosed zero-days.
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/published/
5️⃣ Exploit Database (OffSec) – Community-driven database tracking zero-day exploits and proof-of-concepts.
https://www.exploit-db.com/
⚡ These trackers won’t stop attacks alone, but they give CISOs the visibility to patch fast, prioritize risks, and brief leadership with confidence.
At AUMINT.io, we go a step further – simulating how attackers exploit the human factor with phishing, vishing, and deepfake social engineering before a zero-day even gets weaponized.
🔗 Want to see how your employees would react under a zero-day-themed phishing test? Book a demo
#ZeroDay #CISO #CyberSecurity #VulnerabilityManagement #AUMINT