Tech Learning Collective

Technology education for radical organizers and revolutionary communities.

  • October 27, 2020 4:30 PM (-0400) October 27, 2020 6:00 PM
  • Remote
  • Status: CONFIRMED

Tickets are no longer available for this event.

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Event description

This workshop is a combination “attack/defense” exercise focusing on Web-based social engineering attacks. Participants will practice both how to launch their own attacks as well as how to defend against them.

Workshop Description

Whether it’s corporate espionage, ransomware, or online fraud, most cyber attacks don’t start with sophisticated software exploits, but rather by employing relatively simple tricks. These tricks are called “phishing” attacks because, much like baiting a lure, they won’t work unless you bite. However, many people do get caught up by them.

In 2019, ninety percent (90%!) of reported data breaches began with a simple phishing scam, costing businesses over $12 billion in losses. Phishing attacks are the most common type of cyberattack on the Internet today, with one and a half million new phishing websites launched every month. Thankfully, it’s easy to spot—and even to perform—these tricks if you have the right guidance.

For example, when you’re at a cafe and you ask the patron next to you to watch your belongings, your stuff will probably be safe when you return. But how safe would you feel if the patron at the next table turned to you and offered to watch your belongings when you next needed to use the restroom? If you had two different reactions to these scenarios, you already have the intuition you need to understand how the overwhelming majority of cybercrime gets a foothold inside your company, home, or organization’s network.

In this workshop, derived from a portion of the Tech Learning Collective’s popular “Hacking with Mr. Robot” Security 101 course, you will have the opportunity to create and deploy your own phishing Web site that can steal usernames and passwords from unsuspecting victims. By learning how attackers build pixel-perfect replicas of familiar sites like the Facebook login screen, you will also gain the skills you need to more quickly recognize the signs of a malicious web site, email, or other online scam.

As this is a remote/online-only event, there is no physical class space, but attendance is still limited to 15 students, so purchase your ticket now to reserve your spot.

To participate in our webinars, you will need access to a modern Web browser such as an up-to-date copy of Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. You will also need a reliable Internet connection. We recommend disabling Wi-Fi and plugging your computer in to a hard-wired Ethernet network cable for the duration of the webinar, if possible.

If you would like to share your video screen or appear on camera, you will need to have and activate your own camera, such as the one built-in to many modern laptops. Similarly, to speak with the rest of the webinar participants, you will need a microphone. If you do choose to activate your microphone, we ask that you please plug in headphones/ear buds or use a headset in order to help reduce audio feedback loops that can degrade the webinar experience for other participants.

Please refer to our workshops and webinars FAQ for additional tips and advice before you join the video conference.

As with all Tech Learning Collective events, racism, queerphobia, transphobia, sexism, “brogrammer,” “manarchist,” or any kind of similarly awful behavior will result in immediate removal from class without a refund. Please refer to our lightweight social rules for details on our strictly enforced no-tolerance policy against bigotry of any kind.

About Tech Learning Collective

Tech Learning Collective is an apprenticeship-based technology school that trains politically self-motivated individuals in the arts of hypermedia, Information Technology, and radical political practice. We offer unparalleled free, by-donation, and low-cost computer classes on topics ranging from fundamental computer literacy to the same offensive computer hacking techniques used by national intelligence agencies and military powers (cyber armies). For more information and to enroll, visit TechLearningCollective.com.

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