現在、電子メールアカウントは単に電子メールを送受信するためだけのものではありません。Microsoft 社や Google 社など、無料サービスプロバイダの多くが、電子メールアカウントに付随したサービスを数多く提供しています。こうしたアカウントにアクセスできれば、そこにアップロードされたプライベート写真などにもアクセスできるようになるかもしれません。攻撃者が電子メールアカウントに侵入して裸の写真などを見つけ、持ち主を恐喝したという事件も何件か起こっています。ほとんどの人は、そんな写真をアップロードするほど愚かではないでしょう。しかし、さまざまなサービスを備えた現在の統合クラウドストレージでは、パスワードファイル、ライセンスファイル、税務記録、パスポートのスキャン画像、仕事の書類など、あらゆる種類のファイルが電子メールアカウントの下に格納されている可能性があります。
Phishers are trying everything they can to improve their chances of harvesting user credentials. They are known for experimenting with different fake social media applications in a desperate move to lure users. Recently, we found a few examples of some…
Natural disasters, like tornadoes and earthquakes, are quite common in the United States of America. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore experienced a violent tornado on Monday, May 20, that sadly resulted in dozens of casualties. Spammers…
It’s time to stop and take a moment to consider cyber security, says the Australian Government. Once a year, the government gets together in partnerships with industry, the community, and consumer organisations to help make people aware of basic steps they can and should do to protect their personal and financial information.
This year’s theme on their Website is “Our Shared Responsibility”. I encourage you all to go out and look at their website, where they help distill a lot of activities down to the basic 10.(With commentary by me.)
Install and update your security software and set it to scan regularly. If you’re broke, there are free A/V options from Microsoft, AVG, and Avast. Install one of these at minimum! Then as soon as you can, upgrade to a top-rated A/V like Norton.
Turn on automatic updates on all your software, particularly your operating system and applications. Just do it. Microsoft pushes updates on the second Tuesday of every month. Get used to a reboot when required.
Use strong passwords and different passwords for different uses. Don’t use the same password for your bank as for email and Facebook. And change them at least quarterly!
Stop and think before you click on links and attachments. Most infections come in through ‘social engineering’ – that is, convincing people to open up a file or click a link with a virus payload.
Take care when buying online – research the supplier and use a safe payment method. Look for the green bar, and the Norton Secured Seal!
Only download “apps” from reputable publishers and read all permission requests.
Regularly check your privacy settings on social networking sites. Sharing isn’t always caring!
Stop and think before you post any photos or financial information online. We saw people posting pictures of their receipts and checks on FB once. Don’t be crazy!
Talk with your child about staying safe online, including on their smart phone or mobile device. Teach them never to share their passwords with friends, and not to save their logins on unfamiliar machines. Show them how to check the No button!
Report or talk to someone if you feel uncomfortable or threatened online. Cyber bullying is a crime! If someone is trying to intimidate you or your family members, report it immediately to the police.
The site didn’t list it, but I believe strongly in power-on password protection in case your computer or phone is stolen. I use the ‘find my phone’ app for tracking it to the bad guy who might steal it. And back up your files securely – encrypted online or on a back-up hard drive.
Be vigilant about your own protection, because the cyber criminals are certainly vigilant about finding easy targets.
Bitcoin is a virtual decentralized currency that was created in 2009 by developer Satoshi Nakamoto, who described the currency in a paper. Recently Bitcoin has gotten lots of attention. In early 2013, the prices reached a high of US$265 per Bitcoin. The following chart shows the currency’s historical price: Because Bitcoin is a virtual Read more…
Having control over an email account can be a lot of power, even though most people would probably say they do not care if someone else is reading their private emails. But it’s not always about reading those private emails. Of course there have …
One of my friends recently locked himself out of his apartment. I found this out when I called him, because while he didn’t have his keys he did have his smartphone. This was one of those times he wished he lived in one of those hotels with the Assa Abloy NFC enabled locks.
It turns out he doesn’t need to go to a hotel to open his door with a phone. Kwikset will soon be selling Kevo, a new deadbolt that can be unlocked with a bluetooth enabled phone. You can switch out your old door locks with one of these newer models
Late last week, Walmart alerted the public to an email-based scam that used the company’s name (misspelled as “Wallmart”) to illegally gather information about users. The email sported the title “Thanks for your Walmart.com order,” and after confused users clicked on links within the emails, their Walmart accounts were charged. While local police departments and Read more…
If your computer or mobile was hacked or your passwords were cracked and your data was lost or if all the websites you have an account with were hacked and all that information was the hands of a criminal, how devastated will you be? In McAfee’s study on the value of digital assets, consumers estimated Read more…