Security experts expect ransomware attacks against local governments to ramp up in 2020. But government officials hope that if they can properly protect cities and stop paying the hackers, ransomware will eventually die off. …
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As Nir Eyal outlines in his new book, Indistractable, notifications are the big problem in this cycle. If my phone were across the room and I didn’t hear the ding, feel it buzz, or see a lock screen notification I wouldn’t be as compelled to check. This aligns with a 2018 article in Education and Health, which explained that unpredictable rewards work together with the push notifications to build a habitual cycle for people.
inc.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
How do you deal with distractions?
A newly discovered hacking campaign by a ‘sophisticated cyber criminal operation’ is targeting healthcare and education organisations with custom-built… trojan malware which gives attackers… control of Windows systems with the ability to monitor actions and steal sensitive data. The malicious functions of the remote access trojan , dubbed PyXie RAT, include keylogging, credential harvesting, recording video, cookie theft, the ability to perform man-in-the-middle attacks and the capability to deploy other forms of malware onto infected systems.
ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
What are you doing to keep ahead of these attacks?
HPE SAS SSD users need to install a critical firmware patch or they’ll lose their SSDs, including their data.
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Do you own one of these systems?
Text messages are sent in a multi-step process. While your message might be encrypted from your phone to the first cell tower, it’s not encrypted after that. And your SMSC may keep the message even if both the sender and recipient delete it. ..
popularmechanics. com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Do you still use sms?
Travelers are advised to avoid using public USB power charging stations in airports, hotels, and other locations because they may contain dangerous malware, the Los Angeles District Attorney said in a security alert published last week. …
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Do you use public charging stations?
For Windows 10 and Office 365 users, the default cloud storage service is Microsoft OneDrive. Use this guide quickly get up to speed on Microsoft’s cloud storage app. …
TechRepublic.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
What do you want to know about OneDrive?
CCPA is important because it represents the first real, comprehensive privacy legislation in the U.S. And because the CCPA applies to all California residents, any company that works with data from California residents will be subject to it. …
Geek-wire.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Are you ready for CCPA?
Brave, a privacy-first browser, rolls out its first stable release, complete with innovative features such as its own private ad platform and a users and websites rewards initiative. … Developed from the ground up to be a privacy-first alternative to modern-day browsers, Brave 1.0 comes with many features not present in any other competitor’s software. This includes: Brave blocks all ads by default, and instead uses its own private ad platform, designed to work right inside the browser, and with a focus on preserving users’ privacy. …
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Are you ready to try a new browser?
Microsoft‘s chief privacy officer promises to apply the CCPA to all US users, not just Californians. … The California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, is currently set to go into effect on January 1, 2020. The upcoming law is considered one of the most restrictive privacy legislations in the world world. … Under the CCPA, companies must be transparent about the type of data they collect from users and how they use it. In addition, companies must also provide users with the option to prevent their personal information from being sold.
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Will your business be compliant in time?
Digital and social marketing requires time, attention, and commitment. It requires a long-term content strategy in alignment with your business goals and involves daily posts and interactions with your audience. It also requires monitoring and engagement to ensure a two-way dialog with your intended audience. It is not a magic button by any means. However, it is a relatively inexpensive, direct communication channel to reach your target audience. …
LinkedIn.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Do you do digital marketing? What has worked best for you?
While Washington looks to combat online monopolies, some innovators are developing new internet platforms to prevent monopolies from forming in the future… While lawmakers try to combat the concerns by talking about antitrust and regulation, a cottage industry of true decentralizers is emerging in the computer space. They want to recapture the original promise of the web, to create a platform where information isn’t siloed by private companies or monitored by police states.
WSJ.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Do you think these startup technologies have a real chance to change things?
Mobile-accessible cryptocurrency, AI and ML oversight, blockchain to counter deepfake technology and an Internet of Behavior are all among the predictions for the near future.
Prediction 1: By 2023, the number of people with disabilities employed will triple due to AI and emerging technologies, reducing barriers to access.
Prediction 2: By 2024, AI identification of emotions will influence more than half of online advertisements. …
TechRepublic.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Do you see opportunities for your business?
Ever find yourself at work, desperate to finish an important project, but seemingly getting nowhere? Nir Eyal used to experience that a lot. Then he started to look at the science behind distraction and what you can do to stop it. In this episode, Nir explains how to stop getting distracted, why open plan offices don’t work and how Slack created a distraction free workplace.
anchor.fm click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
How do you cope with tech distractions?
Firefox is taking the guesswork out of how to give yourself more privacy online providing always-on features like blocking third-party tracking cookies and cryptominers also known as Enhanced Tracking Protection.
Mozilla.org click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Will you use their new privacy features?
DocAuthority‘s new report states that IT security departments are incorrectly estimating the value of business information they have in their possession. This leads to poor investment into the availability, protection and security of the data that is commercially most valuable. … the poll uncovered that the majority was undervalued, including research and development, as well as financial reports. On the other hand, personally identifiable data (PII), which was less sensitive, was highly prioritised.
itproportal.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Do you know the value of your data?
Over the past few months, many users have complained about xHelper’s near “unremovable” state… While the trojan is currently engaging in spam and ad revenue, it also possesses other, more dangerous features. xHelper can download and install other apps, a function that the xHelper could at any point to deploy second-stage malware payloads, such as ransomware, banking trojans, DDoS bots, or password stealers.
ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Are you safe using an Android phone?
Tens of thousands of Wi-Fi routers are potentially vulnerable to an updated form of malware that takes advantage of known vulnerabilities to rope these devices into a botnet for the purposes of selling distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack capabilities to cyber criminals. A new variant of Gafgyt malware – which first emerged in 2014 – targets small office and home routers from well-known brands …
ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Are you using one of these routers?
Racoon Stealer isn’t sophisticated, but it has stolen credit card information, passwords and more from hundreds of thousands of victims, and an aggressive marketing campaign means its popularity is still growing, security researchers warn. A new kind of easy to use trojan malware is gaining popularity among cyber criminals, providing them with simple means of stealing credit card data, passwords and cryptocurrency — and it has already infected hundreds of thousands of Windows users around the world.
ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Have any of your associate’s been hit, yet??
As privacy concerns grow, companies like Google and Facebook that rely on data collection and advertising for revenue are increasingly in the spotlight. But is it really possible to give up Google’s vast range of services? Here are recommended alternatives. …
ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Have you given up on protecting your privacy?
The era of practical quantum computers has begun … “Our machine performed the target computation in 200 seconds, and from measurements in our experiment we determined that it would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years to produce a similar output,” Google researchers said in a blog post about the work. …
Cnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
What business opportunities will this mean for you?
As a small business owner, I found out that I was the perfect target for cybercriminals when I read certified IT professional Darren Coleman’s book, Easy Prey: How to Protect Your Business from Data Breach, Cybercrime, & Employee Fraud. It inspired me to arm myself with some common sense and the realization that I am responsible for my viral life just as I am for my real life. …
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Constantly checking your phone? Sidetracked by apps? Use these tips to change bad tech habits to good … such as: Stop notifications… Slow down the email ping-pong … Never open an email more than twice…
TheGuardian.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
What good tech habits are you using?
Two reports published in the last few months show that malware operators are experimenting with using WAV audio files to hide malicious code. … All previous instances where malware used steganography revolved around using image file formats, such as PNG or JPG. The novelty in the two recently-published reports is the use of WAV audio files, not seen abused in malware operations until this year. …
ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
How are you keeping up with all the latest threats?
Early in my career… I felt overwhelmed. … I went to a wise, older colleague and poured out my soul. He listened patiently and then said something I will never forget: “Mike, just do the next right thing.” “That’s it?” I asked. “Yep. That’s it,” he replied. “You’re overthinking it. Just do the next right thing. It will be okay.” … Here are three steps I follow to put it into practice…
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The new rules will have significant effects on U.S. business and on privacy norms. There remains, however, considerable confusion over how the law will be enforced, and how much of a burden it will be to U.S. companies. What follows is a plain English explanation of the law, the politics surrounding it, and how it will affect businesses and consumers. What is CCPA and why is it such a big deal?
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A new feature in the consumer version of Microsoft’s OneDrive lets you store sensitive files in the cloud with extra encryption and authentication options. But you’ll need an Office 365 subscription for unlimited access. …
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Will you use this new feature?
Imagine you try to log into your bank account one day to setup a payment on your mortgage. You realize that something’s wrong when the bank’s website tells you you’ve entered the wrong password. That’s strange, you think as you click the link to “reset your password.” It’s an easy process, but first, the bank requires that you prove you’re actually you, by sending a simple text message with a six-digit code to the mobile phone number on file. But when you request your code, the text never comes. …
Inc.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
Are you using your phone for security authentication?
Demant, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hearing aids, expects to incur losses of up to $95 million following what appears to be a ransomware infection that hit the company at the start of the month. This marks one of the most significant losses caused by a cyber-security incident outside of the NotPetya ransomware outbreak…
ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!
What would it cost your business, if it took weeks to recover?
Convinced technology was becoming a problem in his own life, Nir Eyal had been reading every book on tech addiction he could find, and testing out the many techniques proposed for combatting its overuse. “None of those techniques I read about–like digital minimalism or digital detoxes or digital sabbath–worked,” he says. “All those books tell you it’s no one’s fault but it’s technology’s fault. And so I tried that stuff. And it didn’t work. … learning to become indistractable, to control your attention and choose your life, is the skill of the century, because if we think the world is distracting now, then wait a few years.
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