Creating habits of healthy skepticism when receiving texts or emails can prevent you from clicking on phishing links. Everybody is vulnerable online, especially when distracted or in a hurry. But cultivating critical thinking and self-awareness can enhance protection against manipulation.

Today’s guest is Perry Carpenter. Perry is an award-winning author, podcaster, and speaker with over two decades in cybersecurity, focusing on how cyber criminals exploit human behavior. As the Chief Human Risk Management Strategist at KnowBe4, Perry helps build robust, human-centric defenses against social engineering-based threats. His latest book FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions, tackles AI’s role in deception.

• [1:02] - Perry shares his background and what his career has entailed.
• [4:01] - Regardless of how much people say, spend, or do on security-related issues, the people side of things is hard to control.
• [5:25] - Perry has always been interested in deception and misdirection.
• [6:59] - Even as a security professional, Perry has experienced enough distraction to click a phishing email.
• [9:43] - It is easier to be distracted and not follow usual healthy security habits than being on a computer.
• [12:24] - We fall into habits easily, especially when the behavior is simple and easy.
• [16:00] - Technology based deception is more available to anybody than in any other time in history.
• [18:10] - Security professionals and often pushed in the roles of giving advice.
• [19:40] - Reflection questions like “Why is this in front of me?” might prevent someone from falling victim to a scam.
• [26:58] - Everybody is vulnerable. Even though cybersecurity professionals know more on the topic than some others, it is still possible for them as well.
• [30:40] - Pig butchering and crypto scammers sometimes actually do send money back as a tactic to earn trust and increase hope.
• [34:42] - We have to have a healthy skepticism of the information environment that we live in.
• [36:39] - There are very few situations in life where you won’t benefit from slowing down and thinking things through.
• [38:41] - Perry suggests a family activity that will help boost understanding of pressure tactics.
• [40:17] - The narratives or tells that work for someone might raise a red flag to others.
• [43:25] - As a society, we’ve gotten to a point where we don’t like to introspect.
• [45:59] - Perry discusses the content of his most recent book and how it is information without the “easy way out”.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

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