Episodes

  • The Weekly Breach Breakdown: Gone Quishing – Criminals Use QR Code Phishing in New Attacks – S6E27

    The Weekly Breach Breakdown: Gone Quishing – Criminals Use QR Code Phishing in New Attacks – S6E27
    Sep 4 2025
    Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center's (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for September 5, 2025. I'm Tatiana Cuadras, Communications Assistant for the ITRC. Thanks to Sentilink for supporting the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. Today, we are going to look at how identity criminals are using QR code phishing in new attacks. Many of you probably have heard the phrase “Gone Fishing” before. For those who have not, “Gone Fishing” is another way someone might say one is absent, left or no longer present. It can also be an excuse for not being around. The hackers are not “Gone Fishing”; they are “Gone Quishing”. See what I did there? On a more serious note, that is the title of this week’s podcast because they are weaponizing QR codes in new “quishing” attacks. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter
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    4 mins
  • The Fraudian Slip Podcast: Socure – Identity Criminals Target Consumers with Fake Jobs – S6E8

    The Fraudian Slip Podcast: Socure – Identity Criminals Target Consumers with Fake Jobs – S6E8
    Aug 28 2025
    Welcome to the Fraudian Slip, the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) podcast, where we talk about all things identity theft, fraud and scams that impact people and businesses. This month’s episode focuses on the hot topic of fake jobs. Chances are that sometime in the past week or this week, you will receive a text from someone claiming to be a job recruiter. It will be fake. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter
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    28 mins
  • The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast: Mapping Out The Problem – Instagram Map Concerns - S6E26

    The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast: Mapping Out The Problem – Instagram Map Concerns - S6E26
    Aug 21 2025
    Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for August 22, 2025. I’m Timothy Walden. Thanks to SentiLink for their support of the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we break down the latest data security incidents making headlines. Today, we’re focusing on a recent incident involving Instagram that exposed sensitive information for millions of users through a little-known feature called Instagram Map. Earlier this month, Instagram rolled out a new feature called Instagram Map. The idea sounds harmless enough: a way to see your friends’ real-time locations, similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map or Apple’s Find My. However, here’s the issue: Instagram Map prompts you to share your precise location every time you open the app, even if you’re not posting. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter
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    4 mins
  • The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast: Love in the Time of Breaches - U.S. Breaches Cost $10M - S6E25

    The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast: Love in the Time of Breaches - U.S. Breaches Cost $10M - S6E25
    Aug 14 2025
    Welcome back to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown, supported by Sentilink. I’m James E. Lee, the ITRC’s President, and this is the episode for August 15, 2025. Each week, we take a look at the latest news and trends related to data security and privacy. For 20 years now, the CODB, along with the ITRC’s U.S. Data Breach Report (DBR) and Verizon’s global Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), have been part of the triumvirate that looks at data breach costs by region around the world, along with how long it takes to find and fix a data breach. The CODB, along with the DBR and DBIR, are proof that those of us in the cybersecurity world love our acronyms. That makes this episode – LITTOB – Love in the Time of Breaches (with apologies to the makers of Love in the Time of Cholera). Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter
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    6 mins
  • The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast: 123456 – Weak Password Leads to McDonald’s Data Breach - S6E24

    The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast: 123456 – Weak Password Leads to McDonald’s Data Breach - S6E24
    Aug 7 2025
    Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center's (ITRC’s) Weekly Breach Breakdown for August 8, 2025. I'm Alex Achten, Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations of the ITRC. Thanks to Sentilink for supporting the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. Today, we are going to look at how a weak password at a large corporation led to the exposure of millions of people’s personal information, and explore good password practices. In the past on this podcast, we have joked about the password “123456”. It is a very weak password and, according to the 2025 Hive Systems Password Table, it would be cracked instantly by an identity criminal. This weak password provides no security, and while you’d think no one would use it today, it is still commonly used. In fact, NordPass reports that it is the most commonly used password worldwide, with a count of 3,018,050. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter
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    6 mins
  • The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast by ITRC: Prime Target - S6E23

    The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast by ITRC: Prime Target - S6E23
    Jul 31 2025
    Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for August 1, 2025. I’m Timothy Walden. Thanks to SentiLink for their support of the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we examine the latest events and trends in data security and privacy. This week, we’re looking at an Amazon phishing scam that could impact more than 200 million Amazon Prime members. It’s the latest version of a phishing attack that tries to trick you into handing over your login credentials, payment information and more. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter
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    4 mins
  • The Fraudian Slip Podcast: Ride or AI – Impacts of AI on Identity Theft, Fraud and Scams - S6E7

    The Fraudian Slip Podcast: Ride or AI – Impacts of AI on Identity Theft, Fraud and Scams - S6E7
    Jul 23 2025
    Welcome to the Fraudian Slip, the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) podcast, where we talk about all things identity theft, fraud and scams that impact people and businesses. You’ve probably heard of Ride or Die, one of those slang terms that seems to be everywhere at one time or another. Today, the phrase you can’t escape no matter how hard you try is artificial intelligence, or AI. That’s why we’re calling today’s episode “Ride or AI.” We discuss the impacts of AI. AI is already changing business and social norms and will continue to do so. What will be the impacts of AI on identity theft, fraud and scams? Who will be responsible for protecting people and businesses when AI makes a mistake? Which is the more likely scenario: a Star Trek-style all-knowing computer or Skynet from the Terminator? Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on X: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter
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    30 mins
  • The Weekly Breach Breakdown: ITRC H1 2025 Data Breach Analysis – Key Findings & Takeaways – S6E22

    The Weekly Breach Breakdown: ITRC H1 2025 Data Breach Analysis – Key Findings & Takeaways – S6E22
    Jul 17 2025
    Welcome back to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown, supported by Sentilink. I’m James E. Lee, the ITRC’s President, and this is the episode for July 18, 2025. Each week, we take a look at the latest news and trends related to data security and privacy. This week, the ITRC released our H1 2025 Data Breach Analysis that looks at what happened in the first six months of 2025 when it comes to U.S. data compromises. Let’s talk about the trends, but first, some housekeeping with some numbers: A total of 1,732 data compromises were reported in the first half of 2025, resulting in a little more than 165.7 million breach notices. That’s about five percent ahead of where we were at this time last year in terms of compromises. It’s also more reported compromises than at the halfway point in 2023, when we set the current high-water mark for data compromises. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on X: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter
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    5 mins