Tag Archives: privacy

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Women! Hackers are demanding nude photos to unlock files in a new ransomware attack

Ransomware typically encrypts files and demands payment in bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, but security firm Emsisoft reported Wednesday that it had discovered a variant making another sort of demand: explicit photos. … In other cases, scammers on dating apps have requested nude photos from would-be suitors, then held them for ransom by threatening to leak the photos. …

FastCompany.com click the link to read the rest of the story.  Get our free tools here.

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US Warns: Huawei Has ‘Back Door’ Access in Its Networks

Officials from the United States presented evidence to the United Kingdom and other allies that Huawei has the ability to secretly access information on mobile networks through “back doors” typically used by law enforcement agencies, leading to fears that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may use Huawei to spy on Western nations that allow access to the company. …

Breitbart.com click the link to read the rest of the story.  Get our free tools here.

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Official: Puerto Rico govt loses $2.6M in phishing scam

Puerto Rico’s government has lost more than $2.6 million after falling for an email phishing scam, according to a senior official. … Rivera said the government agency transferred the money on Jan. 17 after receiving an email that alleged a change to a banking account tied to remittance payments, according to a police statement. …

APnews.com click the link to read the rest of the story.  Get our free tools here.

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Popular internet scams to watch out for in 2020

The internet is filled with scammers looking to steal your private information. … You should also be able to spot threats on your own. To help, here are a few scams that are currently trending online.

BigThink.com click the link to read the rest of the story.  Get our free tools here.

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Minimize Risk While Surfing the Web on Your Phone

We simply enjoy surfing on wireless networks wherever we go… assume that none of these networks are safe. This is especially important for those of us who use our mobile devices for online banking, accessing medical records, storing our passwords with a password manager, or browsing files on Dropbox, Google Drive, or Windows OneDrive. … Here are a few tools that can help protect your most precious data from those with powerful digital tools and prying eyes.

Medium.com click the link to read the rest of the story.  Get our free tools here.

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This crafty malware makes you retype your passwords so it can steal them

A trojan malware campaign is targeting online banking users around the world with the aim of stealing credit card information, finances and other personal details. … Like many other hacking campaigns, Metamorfo begins with phishing emails that in this case claim to contain information about an invoice and invite the user to download a .ZIP file….

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.  Get our free tools here.

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New service notifies companies when their employees get phished

Companies across the world now have a new free web service at their disposal that will automatically send out email notifications if one of their employees gets phished.  The service is named “I Got Phished” and is managed by Abuse.ch, a non-profit organization known for its malware and cyber-crime tracking operations.

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.  Get our free tools here.

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Patch the top ten software flaws used by crooks

The most commonly exploited vulnerabilities – and the technology they target … patch these now!  Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft WinRAR

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.  Get our free tools here.

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What will happen January 15, 2020 – to your Windows 7 PC

Microsoft has been warning Windows 7 users for the past year-plus that after January 14, 2020, they’ll get no more security updates to the operating system for free. Even though users will be able to continue to run Windows 7 after that date, they’ll be more susceptible to potential security problems. To hammer that point home, Microsoft is planning to deliver a new pop-up notification to Windows 7 users on January 15, 2020.

ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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Chinese hackers get around two-factor authentication

Security researchers say they found evidence that a Chinese government-linked hacking group has been bypassing two-factor authentication (2FA) in a recent wave of attacks.

ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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ALERT! TP-Link routers allow anyone to change your WiFi password

According to researchers in ethical hacking, if exploited, this vulnerability would allow a remote threat actor to take control of device settings via Telnet to connect to a File Transfer Protocol server (FTP) over LAN or WAN.  Exploiting this vulnerability would give the attacker administrator privileges…

Medium.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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Windows Hack Attackers! Microsoft Responds With Powerful Counterpunch

It has been confirmed that the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) has been tracking a hacking campaign against Windows users. … The threat group behind these cyber-attacks is thought to be based in North Korea and has been named as “Thallium” by Microsoft and is also known as APT37. …

Forbes.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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Cyber security 101: Protect your privacy from hackers, spies, and the government

Simple steps can make the difference between losing your online accounts or maintaining what is now a precious commodity: Your privacy.

ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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California Consumer Privacy Act: Everything you need to know about the CCPA

California’s new privacy bill is one strict piece of legislation. Whether you are a consumer curious about your new rights or a business worried about compliance, here is a guide to the new rules.

ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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Ransomware devastated cities this year. Officials hope to prevent a repeat in 2020

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. …

cnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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How SMS Works—and Why You Shouldn’t Use It Anymore

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!

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Beware of public USB charging stations

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. …

ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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How to prepare for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

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!

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Brave browser reaches v1.0, its first stable version

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. …

ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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Google keeps a staggering amount of information about you. Here’s how to manage it

Google collects a staggering amount of information about you — maybe even more than you realize. Google remembers every search you perform and every YouTube video you watch. Whether you have an iPhone ($699 at Amazon) or Android phone, Google Maps logs everywhere you go, the route you take to get there, when you arrive and what time you leave — even if you never open the app. When you really take a look at everything Google knows about you, the results can be shocking — maybe even a little frightening. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do about it. …

Cnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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Firefox New Privacy Protections Lets You Track the Trackers

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!

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New IoT botnet army targeting small office and home routers

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!

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The watchdogs who track secret online censorship

Online censorship isn’t limited to blocked websites. Social media sites also filter content from news feeds and chats. In China, social media companies are liable to the government for the content that appears on their platforms and have signed a pledge to monitor their services for politically objectionable content, according to Human Rights Watch, an NGO. This leads to a system that strictly limits discussion of political topics.  Companies filter from users’ chats and news feeds any images that could violate the government’s standards. The standards aren’t always transparent to users…

Cnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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How to replace each Google service with a more privacy-friendly alternative

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!

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The Keys To A Digital Disaster Recovery Plan For Business Leaders

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. …

Forbes.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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Alexa and Google Home still being used to eavesdrop on users

Amazon, Google fail to address security loopholes in Alexa and Home devices more than a year after first reports. … Neither Amazon nor Google have responded to requests for comment…

ZDnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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WAV audio files are now being used to hide malicious code

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!

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FBI Warning: Multi-Factor Authentication Is Being Defeated

The FBI has now warned that it “has observed cyber actors circumventing multi-factor authentication through common social engineering and technical attacks.” … But according to the FBI, this use of secondary tokens or one-time codes to back-up usernames and passwords still isn’t enough. Unless companies employ “biometrics or behavioral information—such as time of day, geolocation, or IP address,” there is a risk that an attack can either trick a user into disclosing a multi-factor authentication code or use technical interception to create one for themselves. …

Forbes.com click the link to read the rest of the story. Our FREE Tools can help!

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