This year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month highlights the Core 4 habits: strong passwords, MFA, scam awareness, and software updates. Put another way: protect your passwords, protect your accounts, protect against social engineering, and protect against exploitable vulnerabilities. One of the most effective things one can do along these lines is to address exposed personal data, becauseContinue reading "Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2025: Complete Your Defenses With Personal Data Removal "

Welcome to The Optery Dispatch — a newsletter delivering the latest insights on threat intelligence and proactive cybersecurity strategy. In Issue #1, published May 27, 2025, we cover: Cybersecurity in the Age of Agentic AI Insights from Industry Leaders Agentic AI was everywhere at RSAC 2025—and it’s quickly emerging as a major force reshaping cybersecurity. In aContinue reading "Agentic AI, phishing, and proactive defense"

Optery has won the Best Service for Attack Surface Management award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine. Now in its thirteenth year, the Global InfoSec Awards recognize cybersecurity companies with innovative and compelling solutions that push the industry forward. “Data broker exposure, now officially part of the enterprise attackContinue reading "Optery Wins Best Service for Attack Surface Management in the 13thAnnual Global InfoSec Awards at RSAC 2025"

Why data broker removal is a must-have for organizations Personal data exposure is the biggest cyber threat to organizations today. It enables the most successful attack vectors: social engineering and the use of compromised credentials. Despite this reality, many companies continue to overlook a major security risk—vast amounts of employee and executive personal data readilyContinue reading "Personal Data Removal: A Core Cybersecurity Measure"

CrowdStrike’s 2025 Global Threat Report reveals adversaries are increasingly using identity compromise and social engineering to gain initial access and perform lateral movement.  In 2024, CrowdStrike Intelligence tracked a sharp rise in distinct campaigns leveraging telephone-based social engineering for initial access, including vishing and help desk impersonation tactics. Multiple adversaries incorporated vishing into their intrusionsContinue reading "CrowdStrike’s 2025 Global Threat Report Reveals Phone-Based Social Engineering Is Surging"

A newly leaked trove of internal chat logs has exposed how the Black Basta ransomware gang leverages data broker info to research and target their victims. Black Basta is a notorious Russian-language ransomware group responsible for hundreds of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and businesses worldwide. Known for its aggressive tactics, Black Basta has targeted majorContinue reading "Leaked Chat Logs Reveal Black Basta’s Use of Data Brokers for Targeting Victims"