The Biggest & Baddest Data Breaches of 2016
Jan 23rd
With a history of over 5,000 data breaches in the last 10 years, it’s safe to say that any electronic information connected to you is either at risk or has already been compromised at least once. As James Comey, the director of the FBI puts it, “There are two kinds of companies. Those that have been hacked and those that don’t know yet that they’ve been hacked.” This list shows a breakdown of the 10 largest data breaches, with a minimum of 10 million records at risk, in the past year.
How to Stay Protected Against Ransomware
Jan 16th
Ransomware is a malware class that infects computers, encrypts the files and demands money in exchange for access — or the victim loses valuable data forever. It’s a billion-dollar business that is growing and spreading quickly. Businesses large and small are under threat from increasingly aggressive and brutal ransomware attacks. Loss of access to critical files can cause massive disruption to an organization’s productivity. Prevention is far better than a cure, so here are 7 security solutions you should have in place to give the best possible defense against ransomware.
- Back up your files regularly and keep a recent backup off-site.
The More >
Cyber Security Resolutions: In One Year, Out the Other
Jan 9th
6 Cyber Security Resolutions You Can Actually Accomplish
In 2017, think about what you should be doing to protect your personal identity & personal information of your family, customers, clients, and employees. Here are some easy resolutions to get you started:
- I will file my taxes early. Tax fraud is big business in identity theft these days. Putting your taxes off until the last-minute gives identity thieves more time to file a false return in your name, and make off with your tax refund. File early to eliminate yourself as a target, and get you your tax-return sooner.
- I will review my credit reports More >
How to Protect Your New Tech
Dec 19th
With the Holiday festivities upon us, it’s likely that new tech gadgets have topped your personal wish list. As exciting as these gifts are, you should be aware of the ways that you’ll need to protect your new device. Remember, if it connects to the Internet, it is vulnerable. For Safe Computer Setup: 1. Install Security Software The moment you connect to the Internet, your computer becomes vulnerable. While a brand-new computer out of the box may seem secure, it is not. Sometimes a brand-new computer may sit in a stock room for months before finding its new home. One of More >
Facebook Credentials Stolen Through iOS and Droid
Apr 5th
A security hole in the Facebook app discovered by Gareth Wright, an app developer based in the U.K., can be used to steal information about you, including your login credentials.
The problem? The native Facebook app does not encrypt the login information. This means that a malicious app would be able to steal that information, and in turn, steal your Facebook account. If you use an Android smartphone/tablet or an Apple iPhone/iPad, you are vulnerable to this attack.
There is not much that can be done to prevent this at this point except to be careful of the apps you install on More >
New Mac OS X malware in the wild
Mar 21st
The new malware variant, OSX/Imuler-B, uses images of supermodel Irina Shayk in an attempt to trick end users into execution the malicious application. The malware relies on the fact that by default, Mac OS X doesn’t display full file extensions, and therefore is attempting to trick users into thinking that they’re about the view a JPG image file.
Once the file is executed the malware will delete the original infection file and only leave an image file of Irina Shayk. It will also open a backdoor on the infected host, transferring private information from the infected host to a remote Web More >
ID Fraud up 13 Percent – Javelin Identity Fraud Report
Feb 23rd
In 2011, nearly 12 million Americans were victim of identity fraud, a 13 percent jump from 2010. People are monitoring credit cards more thoroughly then ever before and credit card companies have beefed up their security procedures to help prevent fraud. So why the increase in fraud?
Turns out that thieves have moved on to smartphones and social media. People tend to let their guard down a little bit when dealing with the phone and social networks, leaving the door open for scammers to take advantage of them.
One thing to keep in mind is that thieves are always one step ahead More >
Firefox Vulnerability Allows Hacking Through Images
Feb 21st
It is a long standing notion between the techies of the world that Firefox is an overall better web browser than IE, but that does not mean that Firefox doesn’t have any issues. No software package can be fully secure. In the last week, Mozilla (creators of Firefox) have patched major problems with their web browser.
This vulnerability has been patched. If you run Firefox, be sure that all the updates are installed. They usually come through automatically, so if you have been putting off those auto update alerts, better install them now.
What was the problem? A bug in the Firefox More >
Another Facebook Scam
Jan 27th
You may have seen them already. They are popping up on accounts all over the place. More and more people have them. I’m talking about the new “Timeline” design for Facebook. You can opt in for the new format right now, or wait to be forced into it later. For a lot of people, They opted in early to receive it, only to find out that they don’t like it. But there is no way to go back to the old one. This is where the scams come in.
Scammers heard the complaints and have taken action. Pages and apps are More >
The Return of Zeus
Jan 10th
Besides wielding thunderbolts, Zeus can steal your usernames and passwords. At least, the offspring of the Zeus malware can. “Gameover” is the name of the latest Zeus variant and is called so for good reason. When a computer is infected, it steals your bank account information. Once in the bank account, it is essentially game over.
Lets break Gameover down and see how it works. Infections are usually brought about through phishing scams. These are scams sent through email that try and trick the user into clicking on things that they shouldn’t be clicking on. The emails usually look like they More >