“Hackable Me” is a podcast series created by Proofpoint to educate professionals on the dangers of hackers.
“And that has fundamentally shattered my capacity to trust people” — says a woman who fell victim to romance fraud, one of the cybercrime techniques detailed in Proofpoint’s ‘Hackable Me’ podcast.
Despite all the leading-edge technology, there’s a weak spot in the battle against cybercrime — people.
Most of us are having fewer face-to-face meetings, working from home on unencrypted servers, or using changed work procedures. This is all music to a hacker’s ears.
As one of the foremost security solutions businesses in the world, Proofpoint wanted to position itself as the ‘every’ security risk partner of choice by providing its audience with educational content that would help them protect themselves from these rising threats.
The podcast’s 4 episodes offer a lens into the cybercrime landscape and detail how cybercriminals prey on human fears and vulnerabilities to successfully steal money and data. And all of these attacks described have one common thread: they target humans…not networks. Hackable Me reveals the most common techniques that cybercriminals employ and highlights the human stories behind the headlines.
Who is being targeted, the groups behind the attacks, and the potential collateral damage for both organizations and individuals.
Throughout the series, cyber security experts, a leading cybercrime author, a technology futurist, and a socio-technical analyst discuss how cybercriminals select their targets and the psychology behind their attacks. Most importantly, the podcast provides listeners with practical, actionable advice on how to stay safe.
From phishing to deep fakes and bio-tech hacking — the podcast pulled back the curtain on the whole hacking industry, answering questions like “What is phishing and how is business reacting to the threat?”, “How are online lotharios using similar techniques to trick would-be partners?”, and “How do you protect yourself and the company you work for from data loss?”.
The podcast targeted an enterprise audience that was found to have a heightened interest in “true crime” stories. It specifically was aimed at engaging any enterprise employee in Asia-Pacific. They also aimed to educate both businesses and the general public of the dangers of hackers.
Additionally, the promotional communication plan drew on retro, 8-bit graphics to appeal to both the direct audience and the general public.
To drive consumer interest towards the podcast, an interactive quiz – The Hack-Wise Test, was created. It’s a fun questionnaire that measured your risk of being hacked and let you post your achievement level to Facebook and Instagram.
On what was a small media budget, Proofpoint managed to achieve almost 1M impressions and 3,000 podcast downloads. Due to the show’s popularity, a second season is currently in development.
Why it’s important: The campaign successfully established Proofpoint as a major player in the protection of businesses.
