Tag Archives: Identity Theft

Fake Korean bank applications for Android – PT 1

About a year ago, we published this analysis about a pharming attack against Korean bank customers. The banks targeted by cybercriminals included NH Bank, Kookmin Bank, Hana Bank, ShinHan Bank, and Woori Bank. With the rise of Android-powered devices, these attacks now occur not only on the Windows platform, but also on the Android platform. […]

How many variations of “qwerty” and “1234? can you think of?

I am quite surprised at how inventive people can be when it comes to the thinking up weak passwords. The obviously weak combinations like ’1234′ or ‘qwerty’ along with names and phone numbers are quite common parts of passwords. Some background The story begins with me fighting a familiar piece of malware, Bicololo, which is […]

Why You Need to Teach Your Kids to be Careful What They Search For Online

With information and video access at their fingertips most teens spend a crazy amount of time online looking for the latest gossip, hairstyles, and fashion trends surrounding celebrities. (Yes, it’s true: Internet searches for a certain “twerking” female singer outranked web searches for Syria last week six to one). That obsession with popular culture combined Read more…

Kylie Minogue: Australia’s Most Dangerous Celebrity

Noooooooo!! How could Kylie Minogue be considered dangerous? Perhaps I missed that episode of Neighbours? And I am sure there are no ‘danger’ themes in her music. Well, definitely not in Locomotion or I Should Be So Lucky!! But yes, it is true. Aussie pop legend Kylie Minogue is Australia’s 2013 Most Dangerous Celebrity, according Read more…

Mirror Mirror Online, Who Is the Most Dangerous of Them All?

We all do it. We probably all just don’t admit it. Well I admit it—I’ve searched for that elusive picture of Kimye’s baby North (who I thought would be called Kadence, but I’m not in the know, which is why I’m on the search engines constantly). But what most of us don’t realize is that searching Read more…

What is Encryption?

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Encryption is the science of encoding and decoding secret messages.  It began as cryptography—the ancient Greeks used it to protect sensitive information that might fall into the hands of their enemies. More recently, governments have used encryption for military purposes, but these days the term if often used in reference to online security. Encryption is Read more…

Why Child Identity Theft is Dangerous

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Identity theft in the form of new account fraud can happen to anyone with a Social Security number, which includes virtually any American with a pulse…as well as some who no longer do. Identity theft can even happen to your newborn baby shortly after a Social Security number has been issued to him or her Read more…

Why Should You be Careful When Using Hotspots or Free Wi-Fi?

These days, it’s not uncommon for us to connect to Wi-Fi wherever we go. In fact, we’ve come to expect there will be a Wi-Fi connection—at hotels, coffee shops, airports, and now even on some flights—pretty much everywhere. While the ability to connect just about anywhere is convenient, it also has opened the door for Read more…

What is a Zero-Day Threat?

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The term “zero-day threat” may sound like the title of a hit film, but it’s definitely not that kind of thriller. A zero-day threat or attack is an unknown vulnerability in your computer or mobile device’s software or hardware. The term is derived from the age of the exploit, which takes place before or on Read more…

What Are the Risks of Geo-Location?

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Using your mobile’s built-in global positioning system (GPS) functionality allows location-based services (or geo-location) to locate and publish information about your whereabouts. Applications like Foursquare, Facebook and Yelp allow you to “check in” at places using your mobile phone, and then share your location with friends or on social networks. The application knows where you Read more…