BLACKCLOAK

The past few weeks have been busy with the BlackCloak team present at several events to talk about the why and how around Digital Executive Protection. Here’s a look at where we were: 🍴C-Vision International Executive Dinner in Houston 🤝 The FS-ISAC Americas Fall Summit in Scottsdale 🏎️ C-Vision Driving Experience in Chicago Next up, catch us at IAPP #PSR25 in San Diego on October 29!

The cyber threat landscape has fundamentally shifted, and AI has made impersonation attacks cheaper, faster, and more sophisticated. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re talking about how this new frontier leverages machine learning to supercharge their tactics. Hackers are turning using this tool to for vishing attempts. This type of phishing attack uses voice communication where the hacker calls a target posing as a legitimate entity like a bank, a government agency, or a trusted family member. The attacker then manipulates the victim into revealing sensitive credentials or authorizing a fraudulent transfer. AI impersonation technology can now analyze a person's voice and generate entirely new, realistic speech using voice synthesis. To protect yourself and your loved ones, vigilance is the most crucial defense. Here are some key tips: ✅ Be skeptical of unsolicited phone calls, especially those requesting sensitive information or urgent financial action ✅ Verify the authenticity of the communication through a secondary, trusted channel, like a known corporate number ✅ Educate your employees and family about these AI-enhanced vishing techniques ✅ For personal safety, establishing a family "safe word" or using a pre-agreed personal question can be a simple, non-technical identity verification protocol Investing in robust cybersecurity measures is important, but against this threat, human skepticism is the ultimate firewall. BlackCloak can offer another layer of security with our industry-first Identity Verification Solution. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ghEFAUes

The IAPP #PSR25 conference is just around the corner, and the BlackCloak team will be there. Stop by booth 223 to learn more about how a focus on Digital Executive Protection is a critical part of a comprehensive risk management program. See you in San Diego on October 29!

The latest generation of transformer models are a double-edged sword, unleashing unprecedented potential across industries, while also fueling a new wave of cyber threats. The future of AI is top of mind, especially during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Bad actors no longer need deep technical skills. Now, using generative AI, they can orchestrate large‑scale extortion schemes, craft convincing phishing messages and even deploy agentic AI “staff” to run attacks end‑to‑end. Recent intelligence highlights three worrying trends: 1️⃣ Hyper‑personalized smishing/phishing: The FBI warns that criminals use AI tools to craft targeted phishing emails and deepfake voice calls that mimic trusted colleagues, complete with natural grammar, realistic tone, and speech disfluencies. AI-driven models scrape social media and public data, then inject context like recent projects or personal details into messages, dramatically increasing success rates. 2️⃣ Scaling & robustness of cyber operations: Anthropic’s August 2025 threat report reveals that agentic AI has been weaponized. Criminals are embedding AI throughout their operations to profile victims, analyze stolen data, and develop malware. In one case, a single operator used Claude Code to automate reconnaissance, harvest credentials and generate psychologically targeted ransom notes across 17 organizations. Research with Carnegie Mellon University shows that LLMs, when paired with tools, can autonomously execute multistage attacks and fully compromise networks. This is a clear signal AI is also lowering the barrier to entry for sophisticated cybercrime. 3️⃣ AI “staff” increasing attack surface: Automation turns AI from a helpful assistant into an active operator. AI is now performing reconnaissance, generating malware, analyzing stolen data and crafting extortion messages. This means a single bad actor can replicate the output of an entire team, accelerating the cadence of attacks and leaving defenders with less time to react. While these developments are sobering, they are a call to action. While leading research labs are working to mitigate these attacks, there are things you can do as well. Cyber hygiene like multi‑factor authentication and employee training remains fundamental, but it’s no longer sufficient on its own. It’s imperative that you reduce your digital footprint, minimizing the data available for threat actors to utilize. That’s where services like BlackCloak come in. BlackCloak’s Digital Executive Protection platform scans hundreds of data broker sites to identify and suppress sensitive personal information. It can even blur home images on Google Street View to keep attackers from exploiting physical details. By shrinking the public attack surface and protecting personal devices, networks and online accounts, BlackCloak helps ensure that AI‑empowered adversaries have less data to weaponize. Follow BLACKCLOAK during October for more insights and tips for Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

If you want to build a defense that actually works you need to know how the other side thinks. In the latest episode of Uncloaked, OSINT and Threat Intelligence Manager Chris Carter brings you inside the mind of a cybercriminal. It’s a masterclass on how security teams gather intelligence and use it to keep pace with evolving threat actor tactics. 🎧 Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnkd.in/egFfBmBq

The next generation is comfortable with technology, but this could be making them prime targets for cybercriminals. As digital natives, they have provided hackers with years of personal, contextual data that’s more valuable to threat actors than a stolen password. A lifetime of online data provides an opportunity for personalized, uniquely targeted attacks. In our latest blog, BlackCloak Managing Director of Private Client Services Sarah Rosen explains why education is the crucial defense for the next generation of wealth holders. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eqUsE-gQ

In recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, join us as Cresset Chief Technology Officer Paul Algreen and Chief Information Security Officer Jon Baldwin welcome BLACKCLOAK CEO Dr. Chris Pierson for a conversation on how AI is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape and the practical steps you can take to stay ahead.   RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gwc-DTcj #cybersecurity

The BlackCloak team is gearing up for important conversations about Digital Executive Protection in Frisco later this week. We’ll be at the Texas Executive Protection Professionals - (TEPP) Fall 2025 event to explain why a proactive security plan is non-negotiable for holistic executive security. There’s still time to claim your spot: https://lnkd.in/ezi-hW9K

Many people mistake comfort with technology for competence in privacy and security, particularly as it relates to family members who have grown up with technology. The next generation of wealth holders are digital natives, but their open online lives have created a massive cyber risk for the entire family, providing hackers with years of data to create hyper-convincing scams. In a blog for BlackCloak, I weigh in on the risks and how education can fill the gaps. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g7ZPmv4e

We talk a lot about data breaches, and that information ending up on the dark web, but what exactly does that mean, and what really is the dark web? The dark web is a secret section of the deep web that can only be accessed through special services and authorizations. It acts as a hidden, anonymous marketplace where stolen information is bought, sold, and traded. Once your personal information lands there, it's essentially up for grabs. Threat actors can use this data for things like identity theft, financial scams, targeted extortion, and more. For businesses, a breach causes severe reputational damage. The reality most tech companies won’t be honest with you about? You can't erase that leaked data. Once your information is exposed, it's copied, shared, and sold countless times, making full removal virtually impossible. That’s why prevention and proactive measures are your best defense. BlackCloak offers dark web monitoring to help you build your defenses. Book a demo to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gWXjDEzs We’re sharing tips and insights on strengthening your security throughout Cybersecurity Awareness Month.