How to use Google’s Password Alert tool to thwart phishing attacks

Google’s built a new tool in the fight against phishing. The free Password Alert Chrome extension keeps track of where you enter your Google account password and alerts you when you’ve entered it someplace other than accounts.google.com. This does two things: it prevents you from re-using your Google password on other sites, and it protects you if you’ve entered your password on a site that’s pretending to be Google to collect your private information, a practice also known as phishing.

Cnet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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The market for cyber-insurance is growing

A survey in 2018 by KPMG found that only a fifth of it bosses thought their firm was well prepared for an attack. … The market is most developed in America, says Robert Hannigan, one of those ex-gchq bosses, thanks in part to Californian laws passed in 2003 that compel firms to confess to large data breaches.

The Economist click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Windows 7 migration warning: Plan now to avoid security worries later

Malware can spread much more easily on obsolete platforms, warns security body. With less than a year until the end of Windows 7 support, don’t get caught out. …Keeping software up to date is one of the most effective ways of keeping your networks and devices secure, it said in a blog post: “This is why planning your upgrades far in advance is especially important.

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Mac Users Beware: New Ad Technique Infects You With Trojans

Recent months have seen an uptick in reports of JavaScript malware that hides in image files. This is often referred to as “image based malware” or “steganography malware” in more technical contexts. …

Medium.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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WordPress sites under attack via zero-day in abandoned plugin

WordPress site owners using the “Total Donations” plugin are advised to delete the plugin from their servers… This affects all versions of Total Donations, a commercial plugin that site owners have bought from CodeCanyon over the past years, and have used to gather and manage donations from their respective user-bases.

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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How to Spot Phishing: It’s the Most Common Cyber Attack

One percent of emails sent today are phishing attempts. And it often represents a more serious threat than the nuisance offers for free money we’ve all seen in our inboxes. Phishing is about stealing your password.

Medium.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Security researchers take down 100,000 malware sites last year

Over the last ten months, security researchers filed abuse reports with web hosting providers and have taken down nearly 100,000 URLs that were used to distribute malware … the organization noted that recent numbers indicate that the average take-down time has now increased to more than a week, to 8 days, 10 hours, and 24 minutes, giving malware authors more than enough time to infect thousands of device every day. …

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Windows 7 versus Windows 10: the final showdown

After January 14, 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support for PCs running Windows 7 — unless you want to pay extra, of course. … According to Forrester’s survey of infrastructure decision-makers, 56 percent of company-issued PCs are currently running Windows 10 — up eight percent from last year, and 18 percent from the year before. “This shift is happening at a quick rate …

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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PC security warning: That out-of-date software is putting you at risk

Over half of applications installed on Windows PCs are out-of-date, potentially putting the security of users at risk through flaws in software that have already been patched by vendors. … running out-of-date software can provide an open door for hackers to take advantage of holes left in programs that haven’t had critical security updates applied….

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Configuring Your iPhone for Maximum Privacy and Security

In this article, it’s my goal to help you focus on security and privacy (two different but equally important matters) on the iPhone, specifically with regard to your phone’s data connection—the internet connection you use for surfing the web or using apps. … there is no such thing as perfect security or perfect privacy online, only best practices and best tools. Anyone who promises you otherwise is lying or ignorant….

betterhumans.coach.me click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Chinese Facial Recognition Will Take over the World in 2019

The best facial recognition startups are in China, by a long-shot. As their software is less biased, global adoption is occurring via their software. … A computer system that can track and identify any face anywhere is coming to global citizens. This is because capitalism isn’t regulated, it’s bullish on AI in an exaggerated sense where profits matter and efficiency fits the crime. As Chinese innovation start to get ahead, so too will Chinese ethics infiltrate the rest of the world. …

Medium.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Cyberattacks now cost $1.1M for the average business

The report found… the top impacts being operational/productivity loss (54%), negative customer experiences (43%), and brand reputation loss (37%).  … These IT leaders perceive the goals of the attacks to be service disruption (45%), data theft (35%), unknown reasons (11%), or espionage (3%). …Some 21% of businesses experience daily cyberattacks, up from 13% last year, the report found. Another 13% said they were attacked weekly, 13% said monthly, and 27% said once or twice a year. Only 7% of organizations said they have never been attacked…

TechRepublic.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Microsoft’s Windows 7 has one year of free support left

One year from today — on January 14, 2020 — Microsoft’s support for Windows 7 will cease. That means no more updates or fixes, including security fixes after that date, which is the first Patch Tuesday of 2020, unless a customer pays.

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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How Much is Your Privacy Worth To You?

The price for our privacy is surprisingly low.

This first hit me quite some years ago, while I was working with a very successful restaurant group. I was conducting an experiment in customer service…

Hackermoon.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

How much is your privacy worth?
Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

‘Apple support’ phishing scams are getting really good

You know those voice mails you get claiming to be from “Windows support”? It looks like scammers are upping their game with convincing phishing calls claiming to be from Apple, security expert Brian Krebs said in a report Thursday.

The scam starts an automated call showing Apple’s logo, address and legitimate Apple phone number that warns the user to return the call because of a data breach, according to the security website. The message then gives a 1-866 number to call back. That number is “a known phishing source,” the security analyst said.

CNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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New Trojan attack adds a backdoor to your Windows PC to steal data

A well-resourced and prolific hacking group is distributing a new strain of malware that gives the hackers remote desktop access as part of an information-stealing campaign targeting banks, retailers and businesses. … The remote access trojan capabilities of FlawedGrace mean it allows attackers to gain almost full control over an infected device. Given how the campaign targets banks and retailers, it’s likely that acquiring money is the ultimate goal of the attacks…

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Why you should be using encrypted email

Email leads users to share highly sensitive information in a seemingly private way when, in reality, it’s everything but private. Case in point: see the image below and note a typical unassuming email containing a person’s credit card information. This may seem like a stupid mistake, but you’d be surprised at how common these type of emails get sent on a daily basis (I’m looking at you, mom). The only factor taken into consideration by the sender in these cases is that they trust the person on the receiving end. The problem here is…

Medium.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

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Cybersecurity in 2018: the bad, the worse and the downright nasty

Just like in the previous years, 2018 had its fair share of data breaches. However, it’s rather impressive of how those breaches have evolved over those years. Because of the increased awareness, breaches seldomly go unnoticed anymore. And that’s a good thing.

Medium.com  click the link to read the rest of the story.

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How Our Data Got Hacked, Scandalized, and Abused in 2018

This year tech giants, governments, and even the humble sandwich chain have proved that we can trust no one with our personal data. At best, these companies were woefully underprepared to keep our data safe. At worst, they allowed the data we gave them to help others influence our fragile democracy.

When it came to data scandals and breaches in 2018, the only good news was…

FastCompany.com  click the link to read the rest of the story.

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