Inverted Podcast #20: Targeted Attacks for High-Risk Users

High-risk people need a different security model than everyday phishing advice. In Inverted Podcast #20, hosts Jeroen Kemperman, Dana Kaufman, and Dario Salice talk with Mike Sager about targeted attacks against activists, journalists, campaigns, founders, and other high-value individuals.

The panel contrasts opportunistic drive-by attacks with well-resourced adversaries who research targets and escalate until they succeed. They cover AI-accelerated social engineering, product patterns such as stronger opt-in protections (drawing on experience with programs like Google’s Advanced Protection Program), opinionated defaults, and practical steps: hardware keys, verification habits, and knowing where to get help.

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A recurring product theme is raising the baseline for everyone while giving high-risk users a clear path into stronger controls without turning security into a maze. When AI lowers the cost of personalized lures, platforms that stay opinionated about defaults and advanced protection options reduce the blast radius for the people who can least afford a quiet failure.

About the guest

Mike Sager joins the hosts to unpack what “targeted” really means for high-risk users and organizations, and what product teams can change when conventional security advice is not enough.

Key takeaways

Targeted attacks invest time and personalization; opportunistic attacks spray and pray.
Activists, journalists, campaigns, and small high-value teams are often under-resourced relative to their risk.
AI makes personalized phishing cheaper and faster, expanding who can be targeted.
Products should offer stronger baselines and clear opt-in advanced protections.
Opinionated secure defaults beat optional settings users never enable.
Hardware keys, verification mindset, and trusted help channels are practical defenses.

Topics covered

What targeted attacks really mean
Who high-risk individuals are and why they are targeted
Campaigns, activists, and journalists as vulnerable groups
Money, infrastructure, and influence as target motives
Targeted versus opportunistic attacks
How AI changes social engineering and phishing
Building products for highly targeted users
Practical advice: keys, awareness, getting help

Chapters

00:10 Welcome & what “targeted attacks” really mean
01:45 Who are high-risk individuals and why they’re targeted
04:56 Why campaigns, activists, and journalists are vulnerable
07:22 High-value targets: money, infrastructure, and influence
12:56 Targeted vs opportunistic attacks explained
20:37 How AI is changing social engineering and phishing
26:13 Building products for highly targeted users
34:18 Practical advice: keys, awareness, and getting help

FAQ

Who should watch this episode?

Security and identity PMs, trust and safety teams, journalists and NGO technologists, campaign IT leads, and anyone building consumer platforms used by high-risk populations.

How is a targeted attack different from phishing?

Phishing can be targeted or opportunistic. Targeted campaigns research the victim, craft personalized lures, and escalate. Opportunistic attacks maximize volume with low unit cost.

How does this connect to inverted products?

Inverted products succeed when rare, high-impact failures do not happen. Protecting high-risk users is the same shape: the quiet day is the product win.

Related on Inverted PM

Connect with the hosts and guests on the video or on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

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