April 21, 2025

Stopping Social Engineered Vishing Attacks Before They Start

Social engineering continues to be the primary gateway for cyberattacks, responsible for nearly 80% of fraud and ransomware incidents. And notably, 1 in 4 of these social engineering attacks originate via phone calls. Yet many enterprises continue to leave their phone systems exposed. In this episode, Dr. Dave Chatterjee engages Richard Quattrocchi, Vice President of Digital Transformation, Mutare Inc., in a compelling discussion on the often-overlooked threat of voice-based cyberattacks, particularly vishing (voice phishing). Richard shares his professional journey, personal motivation rooted in a family scam incident, and the alarming rise of social engineering via phone calls—especially in the era of AI and deepfakes. The conversation underscores how organizations continue to leave phone systems vulnerable due to siloed ownership and outdated assumptions.

Richard presents a layered defense strategy combining people, process, and technology, and introduces Mutare’s voice traffic filtering solution. This technology proactively intercepts malicious calls using metadata analysis before they reach users, drastically reducing exposure to fraud. The discussion also dives into real-world cases, including the MGM breach, and offers actionable guidance for enterprises and individuals to better secure voice channels.

To access and download the entire podcast summary with discussion highlights -- https://www.dchatte.com/episode-84-stopping-social-engineered-vishing-attacks-before-they-start/

Social engineering continues to be the primary gateway for cyberattacks, responsible for nearly 80% of fraud and ransomware incidents. And notably, 1 in 4 of these social engineering attacks originate via phone calls. Yet many enterprises continue to leave their phone systems exposed. In this episode, Dr. Dave Chatterjee engages Richard Quattrocchi, Vice President of Digital Transformation, Mutare Inc., in a compelling discussion on the often-overlooked threat of voice-based cyberattacks, particularly vishing (voice phishing). Richard shares his professional journey, personal motivation rooted in a family scam incident, and the alarming rise of social engineering via phone calls—especially in the era of AI and deepfakes. The conversation underscores how organizations continue to leave phone systems vulnerable due to siloed ownership and outdated assumptions.

Richard presents a layered defense strategy combining people, process, and technology, and introduces Mutare’s voice traffic filtering solution. This technology proactively intercepts malicious calls using metadata analysis before they reach users, drastically reducing exposure to fraud. The discussion also dives into real-world cases, including the MGM breach, and offers actionable guidance for enterprises and individuals to better secure voice channels.

To access and download the entire podcast summary with discussion highlights -- https://www.dchatte.com/episode-84-stopping-social-engineered-vishing-attacks-before-they-start/

 

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Connect with Dr. Chatterjee on these platforms:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dchatte/

Website: https://dchatte.com/

Cybersecurity Readiness Book: https://www.amazon.com/Cybersecurity-Readiness-Holistic-High-Performance-Approach/dp/1071837338

https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/cybersecurity-readiness/book275712

Latest Publications & Press Releases:

Meet Dr. Dave Chatterjee, the mind behind the CommitmentPreparedness-Discipline method for cybersecurity,” Chicago Tribune, February 24, 2025.

"Dr. Dave Chatterjee On A Proactive Behavioral Approach To Cyber Readiness," Forbes, February 21, 2025.

Ignorance is not bliss: A human-centered whole-of-enterprise approach to cybersecurity preparedness

Dr. Dave Chatterjee Hosts Global Podcast Series on Cyber Readiness, Yahoo!Finance, Dec 16, 2024

Dr. Dave Chatterjee Hosts Global Podcast Series on Cyber Readiness, Marketers Media, Dec 12, 2024.

Cybersecurity Readiness Podcast by Dr. Dave Chatterjee Reaches 10,000 Downloads Globally, Business Insider/Markets Insider, Dec 10, 2024.

"Getting Cybersecurity Right,” California Management Review — Insights, July 8, 2024.

Published in USA Today — “Dave Chatterjee Drops the Cybersecurity Jargon, Encouraging Proactiveness Rather than Reactiveness,” April 8, 2024

Preventing Security Breaches Must Start at the Top

Mission Critical --How the American Cancer Society successfully and securely migrated to the cloud amid the pandemic

Latest Webinars & Podcasts with Dr. Chatterjee as the Guest

Speaker, “From Breaches to Resilience: Lessons from 2024’s Biggest Cyber Incidents and Building Stronger Defenses for 2025,” Riskonnect Webinar, April 3, 2025.

A Proactive Behavioral Approach to Cyber Readiness: Insights from a Clinical Psychologist and a Social Scientist, RSA Webcast, January 31, 2025

Cybersecurity Readiness: Essential Actions For CXOs, August 12, 2024

Non-profits and Cybersecurity, a CAPTRUST podcast

How can brands rethink data security to maintain customer trust?, A TELUS International podcast

Cybersecurity Readiness In the Age of Generative AI and LLM,” Let’s Talk About (Secur) IT Webinar, with Phillip de Souza

Insights for 2023, Cybersecurity Readiness with Dr. Dave Chatterjee, a HALO Security Webinar