How to Steer Clear of Tax Season Scams
It’s that time of year again – tax season! Whether you’ve already filed in the hopes of an early refund or have yet to start the process, one thing is for sure: cybercriminals will certainly use tax season as a means to get victims to give up their personal and financial information. This time of […] more…Don’t Take the Bait! How to Steer Clear of Tax Time Scams
For cybercriminals tax time is the most wonderful time of the year. They are in the shadows giddy, eager, and methodically setting a variety of digital traps knowing that enough taxpayers take the bait to render their efforts worthwhile. Indeed, with the frenzy of online tax filings, personal information (and money) moving through mailboxes, and […] more…Is That Photo Containing a Cyberthreat? What to Know About Steganographic Malware
Secret messages are hidden everywhere – within a hit song, a brand logo, a big blockbuster movie. Usually, these messages are fun Easter eggs or nods to fans. In the digital world, this kind of practice is called steganography, and messages are usually concealed in images, audio tracks, video clips, or text files. But, instead […] more…Helping Kids Understand the Foolishness and Consequences of Sexting
Sexting and teens. Nearly every week, the headlines reflect the attempt of citizens, educators, and lawmakers to tackle the question: What should the punishment be for teens caught sexting? In most states, officials may prosecute anyone, regardless of age, who creates, distributes or possesses an image of a minor engaged in sexual acts under that state’s […] more…6 Ways to Help Kids Steer Clear of Cyberbullies During Summer Break
Wouldn’t it be nice if kids could leave the veiled threats and cutting words behind when the bell rings for summer break? Unfortunately, bullies rarely take a break from intimidating others over the summer and may even step up their game. To date, nothing has humbled me quite like this parenting gig. Once upon a […] more…Acoustic attack lets hackers control smartphone sensor
A newfound vulnerability in smartphones could let hackers remotely control the devices. With the acoustic injection attack, “attackers that deliver high intensity acoustic interference in close proximity” can interfere with a device accelerometer and get the sensor to send “attacker – chosen” data to the smartphone’s processor, say researchers from the University of Michigan and University […] more…What are the Pros and Cons of Snooping on Your Kids Online?
I’ve changed my mind on the snooping question quite a bit since I began writing about family safety over five years ago. I’ve had to. Technology has dramatically changed all of us in that short time. Still, at least once a month a parent asks me, “How much should I really be snooping on my […] more…8 steps to regaining control over shadow IT
A dangerous practice on the rise Image by Pexels “Shadow IT” refers to the too-common practice whereby managers select and deploy cloud services without the consent or even the knowledge of the IT department. These services act as extensions of the corporation but are steered entirely by groups that lack the knowledge or process to […] more…Critical flaw lets hackers take control of Samsung SmartCam cameras
The popular Samsung SmartCam security cameras contain a critical remote code execution vulnerability that could allow hackers to gain root access and take full control of them. The vulnerability was discovered by researchers from the hacking collective the Exploiteers (formerly GTVHacker), who have found vulnerabilities in the Samsung SmartCam devices in the past. The flaw […] more…Code.org Hacked, Emails and Locations Data of Volunteers Compromised 33
An anonymous reader allegedly quoting an email from Code.org, claims that the database of the non-profit organization has been breached: Tags: Security more…Adware program Vonteera blocks security products with simple Windows UAC trick
A well-known adware program is preventing users from installing antivirus products by leveraging a Windows feature that was designed for security. The program, known as Vonteera, abuses the digital signature check performed by the Windows User Access Control (UAC) for executable files. UAC prompts users for confirmation whenever a program wants to make a system change […] more…Paying For Content
I remember setting up our first website. That was 20 years ago, in 1994. When the Web was very young and there were only a handful of websites, it was easy to forecast that the Web was going to grow. And indeed, during these past 20 years, it has exploded in size. What’s even more […] more…Civilians steer NASA satellite from an old McDonald’s
I hadn’t been aware that, if you ask NASA nicely, you’ll be allowed to take the controls of a satellite floating in outer space. Clearly, I need to get out more, as this is what a group of very interested civilians are doing from their headquarters in a McDonald’s. Let’s be fair, it’s an old […] more…Being Secure In The Most Connected World Cup Ever
Sporting events are getting more and more connected, and the just-concluded World Cup is no exception. Brazilian telecom provider Oi made sure that no expense was spared in ‘connecting’ the World Cup , and even claimed that this year’s event is in fact the most connected in the history of the World Cup. Oi claims that they […] more…RSA Conference 2014: The Way Forward
I attended the RSA 2014 Conference in San Francisco, which has held about two weeks ago. This year the conference offered new insights to today’s threat landscape, which will help us all plan for and protect users in 2014 and beyond. Largest Security Conference of 2014 The attendance numbers for RSA are always impressive: this […] more…TrustyCon Video
TrustyCon, the first “Trustworthy Technology Conference” was held yesterday in San Francisco. And Google/YouTube volunteered a camera crew. Nice! The full event can be viewed here: Mikko’s presentation begins at 15 minutes and 45 seconds. Other speakers: Alex Stamos, Cindy Cohn, Marcia Hofmann, Christopher Soghoian, Joseph Menn, Bruce Schneier, Garrett Robinson, Yan Zhu, Chris Palmer, […] more…More information
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