Security Expert’s Credit Card Hacked - 05/31/11 08:25 PM
An excellent way to improve one’s level of security intelligence is to follow the writings of Robert X. Cringley, one of my favorite technology know-it-alls.
Anyway, Cringley’s credit card was recently hacked. And if his card can be hacked, anyone’s can. Like many cardholders, Cringley received a notification from his credit card company’s fraud department, informing him that his card data was being used overseas, on an online dating website.
A scammer used Cringley’s credit card number to create a fake profile, posing as a woman named Katya to lure desperate, unsuspecting men into dating scams.
Cringley determined that the IP … (3 comments)

Choosing an Enterprise eBanking Security Solution - 05/31/11 07:46 PM
In Gemalto’s eBanking Security Guide, a question is asked: “Banking is changing, are you?”
Banking is a changing business. Since the early 1980’s banking has been going digital and moving online. During the last 10 years, we’ve seen a major shift in the services offered and the behavior of customers.
Gemalto’s Senior Vice President of online banking, Hakan Nordfjell, says, “Secure and convenient eBanking is a key factor in the future of banking.”
The convenience of online banking is what makes it so vulnerable to security threats. And in order to prevent fraud, online banking security must be convenient.
Recent technological … (0 comments)

Securing a Home with Automation - 05/31/11 07:35 PM
You know how much you love to and rely on controlling your TV from your couch? I’m a little dumfounded when I can’t find the remote. And by the time I do, I could have easily changed the channel and found what I was looking for, but the process just isn’t the same without the remote control. The operative word in “remote control” is “control”. While remote certainly is the benefit, it is control that adds to the experience.
Let me say this another way. Yes you can stand in front of your TV and switch channels, but you will quickly … (0 comments)

Teacher Bit by Social Media Identity Theft on Twitter - 05/31/11 07:18 PM
Here’s an identity theft story you’ll love to hate.
In Panama City Florida a local and respected teachers’ identity was used to create a fake Twitter profile which spouted off derogatory comments about autistic students. The teacher works with special needs students and had no idea this was going on until she was informed by officials questioning her and the profile.
The Twitter profile included the teachers name, photo, and town along with the derogatory comments. People all over the world started contacting locals officials demanding her ouster after they saw what “she” was writing.
When this came to the attention … (0 comments)

Burglars Pose As Doctors, Victims Take Pills - 05/26/11 11:55 PM
There is unfortunately no limit to how naïve (and stupid) and vulnerable the public is to the evil (and creative) criminal mind when it comes to home security and burglary.
I haven’t seen reports of this happening in the US, yet, but in Turkey which is somewhere over there, burglars are actually donning white coats, and stethoscopes and knocking on peoples doors to burglarize them. They begin to use a ruse that may involve instantly reducing high blood pressure or another ruse conning the victim into ingesting a heavy sedative knocking them out.
Humans need to be led. Meaning we need … (4 comments)

Role Play Your Way to Personal Security - 05/22/11 10:10 PM
Home security and home burglary protection is more than just installing a home security system. The best defense includes a great offense and a solid strategy incorporating a well thought out plan.
Outside of Detroit I worked with local law enforcement to conduct a security seminar at a credit union. This was no ordinary “How to Protect Yourself”, this was a mock robbery done as robbery response training. Best part, cops were the robbers. And they were good, real good. Five cops who have watched every cops and robber movie including “Dog Day Afternoon” with Al Pacino were tasked with numerous … (1 comments)

10 Tips to Secure Online Shopping - 05/20/11 09:28 PM
Worried about shopping online safely? Shopping online is unquestionably more convenient and efficient than traditional commerce. However it can be scary when entering your personal information on sites you aren’t familiar with.
The McAfee SECURE™ Shopping Portal lets you shop on thousands of trusted McAfee SECURE sites, so you don’t have to worry about identity theft. At McAfee SECURE Shopping, you’ll find a wide assortment of stores, every one of which has passed McAfee SECURE service daily checks for identity theft, credit fraud, online scams, spam, and adware.
Every merchant in the McAfee SECURE Shopping Portal undergoes daily security scans that … (3 comments)

Card Not Present Fraud Burdens eTailers - 05/20/11 07:23 PM
More than 90% of online purchases are made with cards, whether they are credit, debit, or gift cards. A virtual payment that takes place online or over the phone, without physical inspection of the card, is considered a “card not present” or CNP transaction. In a CNP transaction, it is not possible to examine a card’s security features or signature.
This creates a higher degree of risk than when a card is physically present at the point of sale. As a result, merchants pay higher fees for CNP transactions, and they pass those costs on to the customer. Identity thieves can … (0 comments)

Dumb Criminal Gets Caught Wearing Victims Clothes - 05/20/11 06:59 PM
A traveler was in a bus station and put his bag down for 2 seconds to get some food and the bag disappeared. He called the police and they made their way down to the bus station.
The victim lost a laptop, black and white motorcycle jacket and a black Kiss concert T-shirt.
Now if I was a thief, which I’m not, and I stole something, I wouldn’t hang around the crime scene. My thinking is that’s probably a good way to get nabbed. So anyway the cops came and investigated.
So what do they see? A person walking around wearing … (1 comments)

Scammers Spoof College Website - 05/19/11 10:09 PM
Reed College’s entire website was recently copied and replicated, but with the fictitious name “University of Redwood.” The Wall Street Journal reports, “Officials at Reed suspect the site is part of a scheme to collect application fees from prospective students in Hong Kong and Asia.” Presumably, scammers could simply collect a fee and then issue a rejection letter several weeks later.
Spoofed websites are generally created in order to phish for consumers’ personal information, or to accept credit card payments for products or services that will never be delivered.
In the case of the nonexistent University of Redwood, it’s entirely possible … (0 comments)

How Much Would You Pay For a Fake Girlfriend? - 05/19/11 01:39 AM
They say there’s a sucker born every minute. Not everyone can be sophisticated and worldly. Unfortunately, naiveté invites predators and victimization.
Social engineering is the act of manipulating people into performing certain actions or divulging confidential information. Essentially it’s a fancier, more technical form of lying.
Combine naiveté with predators who use social engineering to manipulate their victims, and you get stories like this one, about an Illinois man who sent more than $200,000 to an “online girlfriend,” who didn’t actually exist. The man believed he had been in a relationship with the fictional woman for more than two years when … (6 comments)

13 Year Old Busted In Home Invasion - 05/15/11 11:41 PM
In California gang members are recruited in their tweens. Kids as young as 12 and 13 are on the streets and engaged in theft and violence like never before. Other big cities aren’t much different. In Boston, where I live, a few kids had passed through my yard and I informed them of what they were doing and my dog started barking. Immediately one pulled a knife out and started yelling profanities and threatened me and the dog!
I called the State Police and they came right down. The kids were 12, 13 and 14. Nothing surprises me anymore.
At the … (4 comments)

Breaches Upon Breaches, Sony, X-Factor, LastPass, bin Laden Scams - 05/12/11 09:35 PM
TechNewsWorld reports LastPass, the password manager was under attack last week. “Users rely on it to store the myriad user names and passwords they inevitably collect as they go about their business on the Web. With LastPass, they only have to remember one single master password. LastPass handles the rest — including, presumably, security.”
Simon Cowells X-Factor show was hit too. The Daily Star reports “Closely guarded secrets about media mogul Simon Cowell and his new US ­ X Factor show have been “stolen” by sneaky cyber crooks. The personal information and act ­details of more than 250,000 wannabes have also … (1 comments)

Job Scams Up As Economy Downs - 05/12/11 09:01 PM
In general, there are a few types of job related scams to be aware of. Rule of thumb is if it isn’t a job that you are familiar with or a service you have heard of, it is probably a scam. If it’s not a job you would see printed on a business card, it’s a scam.
“Work at home”, make $1000.00 a week, etc are mostly scams. This can be anything from assembling a product to stuffing envelopes to answering the phone. Most require some kind of initial investment, which should be a tip off. I’m told there are legitimate … (0 comments)

Spring Is In The Air (And So Are Dating Scams) - 05/12/11 08:37 PM
Like a roller coaster, online dating can be fun and exciting, or it can be nauseating. Most dating veterans have been there, done that, with a few regrets and lots of lessons learned. While you may have already experienced a lot, you have yet to see it all.
It’s essential to be able to distinguish a conscious, healthy search for a mate from one that is potentially destructive.
Water seeks its own level, as the saying goes, which means that unhealthy and insecure people tend to find one another, which leads to destructive relationships. What’s worse is that insecure people are … (1 comments)

5 Tips to Avoid bin Laden Scams - 05/09/11 11:01 PM
When clicking these links your PC can be infected with a RAT which is a remote access Trojan and all your information may end up in the hands of a criminal.
Bottom Line: Be wary of any unsolicited messages that claim to have news on bin Laden, and never click on links or attachments included in these messages.
Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim:
1) Never download or click anything from an unknown source. If you really think your friend is sending you a video clip, double-check with the friend to be sure before you click on the link.
2) Before … (1 comments)

Top 5 Business Security Risks - 05/09/11 10:54 PM
1. Data Breaches: Businesses suffer most often from data breaches, making up 35% of total breaches. Medical and healthcare services are also frequent targets, accounting for 29.1% of breaches. Government and military make up 16.2%, banking, credit, and financial services account for 10.5%, and 9.2% of breaches occur in educational institutes.
Even if you protect your PC and keep your critical security patches and antivirus definitions updated, there is always the possibility that your bank or credit card company may be hacked, and your sensitive data sold for the purposes of identity theft.
2. Social Engineering: This is the act of … (0 comments)

Predators Using Social Media to Stalk Kids - 05/09/11 10:41 PM
All the advice one hears when told how to keep your kids safe on the internet from your home computer goes out the window when a mobile phone and other portable devices are introduced into the child’s life.
The sage advice was to put a PC in the living room and monitor your kids activity. Today that becomes impossible when there are tablets, iPads, mobile phones, laptops, online games and webcams. All these technologies provide new opportunities for the bad guy.
Child predators are often those who gravitate towards trusted positions in society where they have direct access to kids. Others … (2 comments)

McAfee’s Most Unwanted Identity Theft Criminals - 05/07/11 12:05 AM
McAfee has created a tongue-in-cheek list of the most unwanted identity thieves, describing the various techniques thieves use to steal your information. It’s clever and, unfortunately, very real.
Pauly the Pickpocket & Sally Sticky Fingers work as a team to lift wallets and mobile devices from pockets and purses, often in broad daylight. Sally creates a distraction by dropping a shopping bag, crying for help, or stopping suddenly in your path, and then Pauly bumps into you from behind and picks your pocket.
To avoid having your pocket picked, keep your wallet in your front pocket, or keep your purse closed … (5 comments)

Beauty Queen Guns Down Home Invader - 05/06/11 11:43 PM
An ex-con picked the wrong home to invade.
Imagine you’re in bed counting sheep dreaming of clouds and flying unicorns. Suddenly there is a knock on the door, which is startling to most people who wake up to the presence of noise and especially that of a knock at 3am.
In your discombobulated state you shuffle over to the door and open it to see who it is, they give you some song and dance and you open the door. Next, a hand wrapped over your face nose and mouth.
In my world this would never happen as previously described. In … (1 comments)

Hackers Cheat a Stock Market Game - 05/06/11 11:34 PM
Gaming websites, like banks and retailers, are forced to deal with online fraud and other abuses, which cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Many gaming sites have increased efforts to detect suspicious players, but savvy criminals have learned to mask their true identities, changing account information to circumvent conventional methods of fraud detection.
When players conspire to hack one game, they compromise the integrity of the entire website. Other players eventually realize that the deck is rigged against them and that the website’s fundamental security has been compromised. The website becomes useless to honest players, who take … (2 comments)

 

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