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Social Engineering Stories

Kiwi Stories

Social Engineering stories

Dunedin man loses $500,000 in 18-year romance scam
Online dating

Dunedin man loses $500,000 in 18-year romance scam

A Dunedin man was deceived out of more than NZD $525,000 over 18 years by an Auckland woman posing as an Australian police recruit.

By RNZ • 5 min read • Today
Hatch warns customers of DriveWealth data exposure
Data Protection

Hatch warns customers of DriveWealth data exposure

Customer contact details and portfolio data were exposed in a breach at Hatch's US broker partner, though no holdings or transactions were affected.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Yesterday
New Zealand SMEs face rising cyber threats, study finds
Data Protection

New Zealand SMEs face rising cyber threats, study finds

Nearly three-quarters of medium-sized firms have faced a cyber threat in six months, as AI scams and weak staff training heighten risk.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Yesterday
AI shrinks exploit window to zero days, ESET warns
Malware

AI shrinks exploit window to zero days, ESET warns

Businesses have almost no time to patch flaws now, as ESET says the median gap between disclosure and exploitation fell to zero days in 2026.

By Sean Mitchell • 6 min read • Last week
ChatGPT search links New Zealanders to unsafe sites
Malware

ChatGPT search links New Zealanders to unsafe sites

New Zealand users risk fake login pages and scam sites after ChatGPT search results were found pointing to unsafe links and downloads.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Last week
Cybersecurity experts raise alarm after back-to-back data breaches
Data Protection

Cybersecurity experts raise alarm after back-to-back data breaches

Schools and payroll users face heightened phishing and identity-theft risks after breaches exposed sensitive data at multiple firms.

By RNZ • 4 min read • This month

Global Stories

Social Engineering stories

Proofpoint launches AI security against trusted attacks
Cloud Security

Proofpoint launches AI security against trusted attacks

Targeted phishing and payment fraud are getting harder to spot as attackers mimic routine business workflows and trusted contacts.

By Mara Sugue • 4 min read • Today
AI security incidents expose new criminal tradeoffs
Malware

AI security incidents expose new criminal tradeoffs

Criminals are increasingly using AI for ransomware and credential theft, while flaws in test models are exposing production systems and data.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 5 min read • Last week
Caller ID spoofing warning as phone security evolves
Unified Communications

Caller ID spoofing warning as phone security evolves

Businesses risk being misled into revealing information unless phone systems can verify caller identity across increasingly complex cloud-linked networks.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Last week
AI systems expose sensitive data in ANZ, report finds
Data Protection

AI systems expose sensitive data in ANZ, report finds

Downstream AI alerts in Australia and New Zealand are rising as agents and MCP links create fresh routes for sensitive data leakage.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Last week
IT pros say password sharing is top security lapse
Disaster Recovery

IT pros say password sharing is top security lapse

User behaviour remains IT's biggest vulnerability, with 65% of professionals saying password sharing is the worst security lapse.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 3 min read • Last week

Stories from Other Regions

Social Engineering stories

PhishByte warns AI phishing has outpaced detection
Multi-factor authentication

PhishByte warns AI phishing has outpaced detection

Traditional email filters are failing as AI-crafted scams now look legitimate enough to fool staff and drive up fraud losses.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Last week
UK card fraud losses rise 2% as Europe hits record
Fintech

UK card fraud losses rise 2% as Europe hits record

Europe's card fraud bill hit a record EUR €1.69 billion, even as UK losses edged up only 2% to GBP £594.9 million.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Last week
Probe Group wins ISO 42001 AI certification across brands
Data Protection

Probe Group wins ISO 42001 AI certification across brands

Clients in regulated sectors may benefit from lower AI compliance risk after Probe Group completed independent certification across all its brands.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Last week
Peoples Group taps Feedzai ahead of Real-Time Rail
Fintech

Peoples Group taps Feedzai ahead of Real-Time Rail

Fraud checks are being upgraded before Canada's instant payments network goes live, as Peoples Group seeks to stop scams in real time.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Last week
ReliaQuest finds Microsoft 365 email control bypass
Network Security

ReliaQuest finds Microsoft 365 email control bypass

Phishing emails can still slip into Microsoft 365 mailboxes when attackers leave the SMTP envelope sender blank, ReliaQuest has found.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Last week
Zeta launches passkey authentication for RuPay payments
Multi-factor authentication

Zeta launches passkey authentication for RuPay payments

Eligible RuPay cardholders in India can now bypass SMS one-time passwords, cutting checkout time as digital-payment fraud climbs sharply.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Last week