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On the show
From 14 epsHosts
Recent guests
Recent episodes
DeepFake it till you make it.
May 7, 2026
46m 46s
Mythbehavior under investigation. [OMITB]
May 5, 2026
3m 45s
CIRT (noun) [Word Notes]
May 5, 2026
6m 36s
A game of loans.
Apr 30, 2026
55m 59s
PUP (noun) [Word Notes]
Apr 28, 2026
5m 25s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/7/26 | ![]() DeepFake it till you make it. | This week, hosts of N2K CyberWire Maria Varmazis and Dave Bittner alongside Joe Carrigan are discussing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start with some follow, a sweeping DOJ-led crackdown and rare U.S.-China cooperation that led to hundreds of arrests and the dismantling of global scam centers targeting Americans. Maria has the story on a study finding over a third of FIFA World Cup 2026 partner domains lack strong DMARC “reject” protections, leaving fans and customers vulnerable to spoofed emails and event-themed fraud. Dave’s got the story on Americans losing $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, with shopping, investment, and romance fraud surging as criminals increasingly use platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram to target victims. Joe’s got the story on AI deepfakes fueling scams, from fake Taylor Swift videos on TikTok luring users into phishing schemes to a completely fabricated influencer persona run by a scammer, underscoring how convincingly synthetic identities are being used to deceive online. Our catch of the day is on a text message where a scammer is promising a big reward. Resources and links to stories: 276 arrested in connection with 'scam centers' targeting Americans US, China join for rare cooperation in scam center raid FIFA World Cup 2026: More than One-Third of Official Partners Expose the Public to the Risk of Email Fraud Watchdog warns high FIFA World Cup ticket prices increase risk of scams How to make your World Cup experience scam free Consumers lost $2.1B to social media scams in 2025, FTC reports Taylor Swift Deepfakes Are Fooling TikTok Users Into Phishing Scams MAGA Influencer Emily Hart Exposed as Indian Man Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com. | 46m 46s | ||||||
| 5/5/26 | ![]() Mythbehavior under investigation. [OMITB]✨ | cybersecuritymyths+3 | Dave BittnerKeith Mularski | ProofpointQintel | New York | cybersecuritymyths+5 | — | 3m 45s | |
| 5/5/26 | ![]() CIRT (noun) [Word Notes]✨ | cybersecurityincident response+3 | — | CyberWire | — | CIRTcybersecurity incidents+3 | — | 6m 36s | |
| 4/30/26 | A game of loans.✨ | social engineering scamsphishing schemes+3 | Michele Kellerman | Blood Cancer UnitedAmazon | — | social engineeringphishing+8 | — | 55m 59s | |
| 4/28/26 | ![]() PUP (noun) [Word Notes]✨ | cybersecuritysoftware+3 | — | CyberWireYouTube+1 | — | PUPpotentially unwanted programs+4 | — | 5m 25s | |
| 4/23/26 | SLAM, scam, thank you ma’am.✨ | social engineering scamsphishing schemes+5 | Michele Kellerman | Blood Cancer UnitedMeta Platforms | AirbnbVrbo | scamsphishing+8 | — | 51m 39s | |
| 4/21/26 | Ransomware (noun) [Word Notes]✨ | ransomwaremalware+3 | — | N2K NetworksCyberWire Glossary | — | ransomwaremalware+3 | — | 7m 46s | |
| 4/16/26 | Who is winning the scam game?✨ | social engineering scamsphishing schemes+3 | Joe Carrigan | Google | New JerseyBPOs | scamsphishing+3 | — | 57m 37s | |
| 4/14/26 | ![]() Service Set Identifier (SSID) (noun) [Word Notes]✨ | wireless access pointSSID+3 | — | CompTIA | — | SSIDwireless access point+3 | — | 5m 42s | |
| 4/9/26 | When “opportunity” knocks, don’t answer.✨ | social engineering scamsphishing schemes+5 | — | Proofpoint | AustraliaEverest | social engineeringphishing+7 | — | 49m 09s | |
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| 4/7/26 | ![]() Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) (noun) [Word Notes]✨ | encryptiondata security+3 | — | U.S. GovernmentYouTube+1 | — | Advanced Encryption StandardAES+4 | — | 8m 37s | |
| 4/7/26 | ![]() Who’s logging in? [OMITB]✨ | cybersecurityidentity theft+3 | Dave BittnerKeith Mularski | ProofpointQintel+2 | — | cybersecuritymalware+5 | — | 3m 45s | |
| 4/2/26 | The fine print of fraud.✨ | social engineering scamsphishing schemes+3 | Michele Kellerman | FBIGoogle+2 | Southeast AsiaLos Angeles | fraudscams+5 | — | 41m 13s | |
| 3/26/26 | The evolving face of AI deepfakes.✨ | AI deepfakessocial engineering scams+4 | — | INTERPOLKagi+4 | — | AI deepfakessocial engineering+5 | — | 48m 02s | |
| 3/19/26 | When AI wears a suit and tie.✨ | social engineering scamsphishing schemes+4 | Joe Carrigan | MetaEricsson | — | AIscams+5 | — | 49m 17s | |
| 3/17/26 | ![]() Domain Naming System (DNS) (noun) [Word Notes] | Please enjoy this encore of Word Notes. A system that translates text-based URLs to their underlying numerical IP addresses. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/domain-name-system-dns Audio reference link: HistoryHeard. “History Heard: Paul Mockapetris.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 Apr. 2009. | 9m 31s | ||||||
| 3/12/26 | ![]() Defending against unlimited penalty shots. [Hacking Humans Live!] | This week, hosts of N2K CyberWire Maria Varmazis and Dave Bittner head to Orlando to attend ThreatLocker's Zero Trust World 2026 (ZTW). There, they discussed the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Joe Carrigan was unable to join the team, but they have a very special guest, host of the BowTieSecurityGuy After Dark podcast, Rob Whetstine. He is one of the featured speakers this week at Zero Trust World, and he shared experiences from his career at companies like Disney and highlights from his ZTW presentation on Phishing. Maria's story involves a Maine Supreme Court hearing on a case involving a financial advisory firm that was mislead by a client. Dave highlights a malvertising campaign by a threat actor researchers call D-Shortiez. In our Catch of the Day, comes from the Scambait Subreddit where Mavis offers up large sums of money for a $50 Visa Debit card. We thank Rob for joining us as our special guest. Resources and links to stories: Maine Law Court hears oral arguments in $1.3M elder scam case. Disrupting 59M Malicious Impressions: Inside D-Shortiez Testing Infrastructure and Campaign Management. Rob Whetstine's BowTieSecurityGuy After Dark podcast. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com. | 1h 02m 52s | ||||||
| 3/10/26 | ![]() Pretexting (noun) [Word Notes] | Please enjoy this encore of Word Notes. A social engineering technique in which a threat actor poses as a trusted person or entity in order to trick the victim into disclosing information or performing an action that benefits the attacker. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/pretexting Audio reference link: “Batch Pin Hurt Charlize Theron Skin | the Italian Job (2003) Movie Scene.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Nov. 2016. | 6m 07s | ||||||
| 3/5/26 | ![]() Identity theft gets a raise. | This week, hosts of N2K CyberWire Maria Varmazis and Dave Bittner alongside Joe Carrigan are discussing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. For our follow up this week we get an update Merriam-Webster dictionary for Joe, and listener Michael Amezquita suggested that customizable ChatGPT personality settings may explain why Joe and Dave received different responses on Hacking Humans. Dave shares reporting on a Binary Defense case where attackers used social engineering and a help desk reset to hijack a physician’s identity and reroute payroll deposits through a trusted internal system without triggering security alerts. Maria highlights a surge in AI-powered publishing scams targeting authors, where fraudsters use flattery and impersonate legitimate organizations to charge bogus marketing and promotion fees. Joe covers multi-state raids tied to a massive gold bar scam that stole tens of millions from seniors, with stolen gold allegedly melted down through cooperating jewelry stores. In our Catch of the Day, a Reddit scambaiter shared a bizarre ongoing conversation with someone claiming to be “Keanu Reeves from Brokeback Mountain” who reached out to non‑fans in Norway. Resources and links to stories: Payroll pirates are conning help desks to steal workers' identities and redirect paychecks What is it like to attend a predatory conference? Hungry for Affirmation, Vulnerable to Scams: As a Writer, I Know the Feeling Third North Texas jewelry store raided over alleged connections to $74 million gold scam targeting seniors Federal and state authorities raid jewelry stores in multi-state $50 million gold bar scam Jewelry store raids in Irving, Frisco linked to $55 million gold scam targeting seniors, officials say Keanu Reeves from Brokeback Mountain reaches out to non-fans in Norway! - Part 1 Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com. | 56m 31s | ||||||
| 3/3/26 | ![]() Web Application Firewall (noun) [Word Notes] | Please enjoy this encore of Word Notes. A layer seven firewall designed to block threats at the application layer of the open system interconnection model, the OSI model. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/web-application-firewall Audio reference link: “VCF East 9.1 - Ches' Computer Security Adventures - Bill Cheswick.” YouTube, 29 Dec. 2015, https://youtu.be/trR1cuBtcPs. | 8m 59s | ||||||
| 2/26/26 | ![]() AI ate my homework. | This week, hosts of N2K CyberWire Maria Varmazis and Dave Bittner alongside Joe Carrigan are discussing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Maria’s story covers a BBC experiment by Thomas Germain showing how easily major AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini repeated a completely fabricated claim he posted online, highlighting what experts call a “renaissance for spam” as SEO-style manipulation resurfaces in the age of AI. Dave’s story examines Elizabeth Chamblee Burch’s book The Pain Brokers, which details how women with pelvic mesh implants were allegedly cold-called and steered into surgeries as part of a $40 million mass-tort recruitment scheme fueled by litigation finance and regulatory gaps. Joe’s story reports on an alleged decade-long ticket fraud ring at the Louvre in Paris, where tour guides and museum employees are accused of reusing tickets and bribery, costing more than €10 million before French authorities made multiple arrests. Our catch of the day comes from Reddit, where a user tested the limits of a land developer. Resources and links to stories: I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI - and it only took 20 minutes A Terrifying Scam and the System That Made It Possible The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory Louvre tour guides accused of orchestrating $16m ticket fraud ring over a decade T&T&T Land&Sea Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com. | 51m 39s | ||||||
| 2/24/26 | ![]() COBIT (noun) [Word Notes] | Please enjoy this encore of Word Notes. An IT governance framework developed by ISACA. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/cobit Audio reference link: isacappc. “How Do You Explain Cobit to Your Dad – or Your CEO?” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Aug. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYATVkddIyw. | 7m 06s | ||||||
| 2/19/26 | ![]() The voice on the other end. | This week, hosts Maria Varmazis (also host of the T-Minus Space Daily show), Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan are discussing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We have some follow up where Joe shares a scam call he received. Dave’s got the story on a sophisticated phishing campaign targeting Apple Pay users through fake emails and voice calls impersonating customer support, as well as Australia’s ClickFit initiative warning that romance scammers are exploiting trust online for emotional and financial gain. Joe’s story is about a former Ohio bank employee who used his insider access to steal identities and siphon roughly $2 million from elderly customers, ultimately leading to his arrest in Chicago and federal conviction. Maria’s story is about a daughter who discovers her 84-year-old mother has been financially exploited by trusted professionals and even family members, underscoring how elder fraud often comes from familiar faces. It highlights the rapid rise in elder financial abuse and the urgent need for families to step in early—before cognitive decline makes the losses irreversible. Our catch of the day come's from the "Australian Government" on a tax document being floated around. Resources and links to stories: Apple Pay Users Targeted by Sophisticated Phishing Scam Leveraging Voice and Email ClickFit: Romance scams Former Bank Employee Found Guilty of Targeting Elderly Victims in Identity Theft and Fraud Scheme Ohio bank’s anti-fraud agent stole $2M from elderly customers: DOJ Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com. | 45m 43s | ||||||
| 2/17/26 | ![]() Security Service Edge (SSE) (noun) [Word Notes] | Please enjoy this encore of Word Notes. A security architecture that incorporates the cloud shared responsibility model, a vendor provided security stack, and network peering with one or more of the big content providers and their associated fiber networks. CyberWire Glossary link: https://thecyberwire.com/glossary/security-service-edge Audio reference link: Netskope (2022). What is Security Service Edge (SSE). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9H84nvgBqw [Accessed 21 Oct. 2022]. | 8m 17s | ||||||
| 2/12/26 | ![]() Love was the hook. | This week, hosts Maria Varmazis (also host of the T-Minus Space Daily show), Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan are discussing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Dave sits down with Simon Horswell, a Senior Fraud Specialist at Entrust discussing evolving romance scams for Valentine's Day. We have some follow up on chickens and a listener write-in, with a quick note on the backyard chicken trend and a closer look at a Bank of America fraud text that looked like a phish. Maria’s story follows an alleged “Dubai Crown Prince” scam that drained nearly €3 million from a Romanian businesswoman using fake banks and humanitarian appeals. Joe’s story tells of a handyman-turned-boyfriend who ran multiple dating scams and stole from his partner and her family, now featured on Amazon Prime. Dave’s story features Simon Horswell from Entrust explaining why romance scams hit $4.5 billion in 2024 and how scammers use psychological tricks, AI tools, and celebrity impersonation to manipulate victims. We have two catches of the day this week, one a physical letter from the DOJ and the other is an email from Microsoft. Resources and links to stories: Let's stop shipping baby chickens in the mail Inside the alleged $2.5 million Dubai Crown Prince romance scam CASHED OUT I fell in love with a handyman who came to fix my kitchen – little did I know my fairytale would cost me £150k Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com. | 1h 06m 12s | ||||||
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Chart Positions
22 placements across 22 markets.
Chart Positions
22 placements across 22 markets.

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