identity theft expert: The Twelve Scams of Christmas,” or Popular Online Attacks This Holiday Season Pt I of IV
- 11/24/09 01:45 PM
Robert Siciliano identity theft expert Cybercriminals Take Advantage of the Holiday Season, Aiming to Steal Consumers’ Money, Identities and Financial Information
As cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee, Inc. revealed the “Twelve Scams of Christmas” – the twelve most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season. According to Consumer Reports’ 2009 State of the Net Survey, cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past two years, and McAfee warns consumers not to fall victim to the top scams this year.
“Cybercriminals’ use their best schemes during the holidays to … (1 comments)
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identity theft expert: SWATting, Using Technology To Hurt
- 11/23/09 01:44 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Swatting is making prank calls to emergency services. In the field of information security, swatting is an attempt to trick an emergency service (such as a 911 operator) to dispatch an emergency response team, generally a SWAT team. SWAT is (Special Weapons and Tactics).
Caller ID spoofing technologies are used to send law officers on bogus calls along with, social engineering, and phone phreaking techniques combined. 911 systems (including telephony and human operators) have been tricked by calls placed from cities hundreds of miles away.
Caller ID spoofing is the practice of causing the telephone network … (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: Hackers Indicted for Jacking Comcast
- 11/21/09 11:52 AM
Robert Siciliano identity theft expert
One hacked email address led to the defacement of Comcasts homepage. When the hackers called Comcasts technical contact to let him know all 200 Comcast domain names and Comcast homepage were vulnerable, he hung up on them.
It has not been disclosed how the email was compromised, but there are many ways it could be. Wired/CNN reports as described in the indictment, the hackers got control of the domain with two phone calls, and an e-mail was sent to the company’s domain registrar, Network Solutions, from a hacked Comcast e-mail account.
That gave them entry to … (1 comments)
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identity theft expert: Money Mules Facilitate Identity Theft and Fraud
- 11/18/09 11:44 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Mules are relatively unaware people who get hooked into a “small business” or employment that is a function of a criminal enterprise. The mules often respond to “help wanted” ads from online job placement sites. Shipping scams are a common tactic criminals use in which they employ mules to receive goods bought with stolen credit card numbers, who then ship to people who buy them in online auctions. The mules in this process are essentially facilitating selling hot goods and money laundering.
An RSA study revealed laptops, iPods, iPhones, Nokia smartphones, digital cameras, Sony PlayStation 3 … (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: I Bought an ATM off Craigslist for $750 w/1000 CC#s on it. Yup.
- 11/17/09 02:42 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
After the Vegas DEFCON ATM debacle where hackers hacked hackers by setting up a fake ATM in front of the facilities security office, I needed to see how stupid easy it was to buy and ATM and just set it up anywhere. So my search began.
I started looking on e-bay and found plenty of new and used ATMs ranging from $500-2500 but quickly determined I didn’t want to pay $300 for shipping. Next was Craigslist, where anyone can rent out an apartment, buy a boat, get an erotic massage and buy an ATM.
I quickly … (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: Twitter Phish Identity Theft Scam
- 11/15/09 01:34 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
I’ve been getting the same “direct message” from several of my Twitter followers. Apparently, their accounts have been hacked, because it’s a phishing message that says, “ROFL this you?” and contains a shortened URL.
The link leads to a page that resembles Twitter’s log in page. The web address is /videos.twitter.zoltykatalogfirm/. Don’t go there.
Your account will only get hacked if you enter your account information on this spoofed page. Warn your friends. Retweet this.
How to protect yourself:
1. Don’t just click on any link no matter where it’s coming from. Attackers understand … (4 comments)
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identity theft expert: Why is Child Pornography on Your PC?
- 11/14/09 04:01 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Anti-virus protection, critical security patches and a secure wireless connection have always been essential processes on my networks. My main concern has always been to protect my bank account by keeping the bad guy out.
In my presentations, I’ve always stressed the importance of making sure your wireless connection is secured, to prevent skeevy sex offender neighbors or wackos parked in front of your business from surfing for child porn and downloading it to your PC.
Once a predator uses your Internet connection to go to into the bowels of the web, your Internet Protocol address, … (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: Smarten Up. Increase Your Information Security Vocabulary
- 11/12/09 12:17 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Years ago (like 20) a friend was graduating from college and moving away and a bunch of friends were throwing a party for this person. Collectively they asked me if I’d write a small speech as a version of “This is your life”. Stymied as to why they would ask me to do it I asked ”Why me?” My girlfriend at the time said, and I quote “Because you gut good words”. Serious. And my writing and speaking began. Inspiration comes in many forms.
People who generally have to much time on their hands read my … (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: Insider Identity Theft Can Be Most Damaging
- 11/09/09 06:27 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Earlier this week, an IT employee was indicted for stealing the identities of 150 of his coworkers at Bank of New York Mellon, to the tune of 1.1 million bucks. He bilked almost $140,000 a year over an eight year period by compromising the online bank accounts of numerous employees and wiring money to fraudulent accounts outside the bank.
This is a classic case of the fox watching the hen house. This guy was an insider terrorist, looking his colleagues straight in the eye and lying to them. I rank him with pedophiles and serial killers.
… (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: Congress Breached via P2P Filesharing…AGAIN!
- 11/05/09 03:01 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Congress is still considering the Informed P2P User Act, a law that would supposedly make it safer to use peer-to-peer file sharing software, an effort that is similar to banning mosquitoes from sucking blood. It just isn’t happening. The only foolproof way to prevent accidental data leaks via file sharing programs is for IT administrators to lock down networks and prevent the installation of rogue software.
Congress suffered another embarrassing P2P breach last week, after a confidential memo regarding an ethics investigation into the conduct of thirty House members was leaked, thanks to file sharing software … (15 comments)
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identity theft expert: 10 Ways to Prevent Social Media Scams
- 11/03/09 01:26 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
For the past year, I’ve been screaming about the trouble with social media as it relates to identity theft, brand hijacking, privacy issues, and the opportunity social media creates for criminals to “friend” their potential victims in order to create a false sense of trust and use that against their victims in phishing or other scams. I predicted long ago that the problem will get a lot worse before it gets better and there’s no question about it, criminal hackers have taken hold and are in full force.
We hear about a new Twitter phishing scam … (3 comments)
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identity theft expert: Once a Predator Always a Predator
- 11/02/09 03:00 PM
Robert Siciliano Personal Security Expert
A necessary diversion from my daily IT security/Identity theft rants.
So what happens when a convicted rapist lures a 21-year-old woman to his bedroom in 1989, then spends 15 years in jail and then gets a free pass in 2005? He does it again. Why? Because that’s normal. It’s not OK, but it’s normal. Its his nature. A psychologist said to me years ago, “You would be amazed at how many levels of normal there are”.
Officers went to this 50 year old guys home to arrest him for assault and rape and emanating from … (1 comments)
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identity theft expert: Identity Theft Myths Part 3of3 During PYIW
- 10/25/09 10:29 AM
Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano
The National Foundation for Credit Counselors, which sponsors Protect Your Identity Week, has compiled a number of identity theft myths. To support their efforts, the Santa Fe Group Vendor Council Awareness and Education Subcommittee has helped to clarify some common misinformation with regards to this increasingly common crime. We’ve already discussed a few of these myths.
• I don’t use the Internet, so my personal information is not exposed online. Your personal information is in more places than you think, whether it’s your medical records, a job application, or a school emergency contact form. Many … (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: Identity Theft Myths Part 2of3 During PYIW
- 10/21/09 03:48 PM
Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano
The National Foundation for Credit Counselors, which sponsors Protect Your Identity Week, has compiled a number of identity theft myths. To support their efforts, the Santa Fe Group Vendor Council Awareness and Education Subcommittee has helped to clarify some common misinformation with regards to this increasingly common crime. We’ve already discussed a few of these myths, and will continue to do so throughout this week.
Myth #5: Checking your credit report periodically or using a credit monitoring service is all you need to do to protect yourself from identity theft.
There are many useful and effective … (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: Identity Theft Myths Part 1of3 During PYIW
- 10/20/09 02:56 PM
Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano
During National Protect Your Identity Week we will be taking a fundamental approach to the issues. In the next 3 posts we’ll look at myths, compiled by the National Foundation for Credit Counselors (NFCC) who is sponsoring a “Protect Your Identity Week” October 17 – 24. To help support their efforts, The Santa Fe Group Vendor Council Awareness and Education Subcommittee helped create these tips.
Identity theft is preventable. Like any other kind of crime, there’s always a risk of becoming a victim of identity crime. But there are many things people can do to minimize … (1 comments)
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identity theft expert: 12 Awful Reasons Why Impostors Commit Social Media Identity Theft
- 10/19/09 02:35 PM
Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano
Imagine if someone used your name and image, or the name and logo of a business you own, to create a profile on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking website. Then they start posting blogs and sending out links while pretending to be you. They may contact your acquaintances, colleagues, or clients, or they may simply show up when others search for your name. Either way, their intentions are fraudulent. Establishing an online presence using someone else’s identity creates unlimited opportunities for a scammer.
Traditional phishing, in which scammers send a fake email that appears … (2 comments)
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identity theft expert: Identity Theft Is Really No Big Deal. Idiot.
- 10/14/09 03:08 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
I make a portion of my living talking about identity theft. Admittedly, I profit from the crime. I don’t steal identities of course, but I get paid because others steal. I’m not FBI, CIA, Secret Service or a cop. But you wouldn’t disparage any of those entities for doing their jobs to protect you from bad guys.
I talk about this issue all day, every day to whoever will listen. I’m obsessed with this and all issues regarding personal security. It’s what I do, and it seems to be “my purpose.” I may sometimes go a … (0 comments)
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identity theft expert: How to Prevent Phishing Scams
- 10/14/09 04:30 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Recent reports abound of consumers email account being phished and American and Egyptian authorities arresting dozens of people in an online fraud crackdown for phishing scams. Its time to revisit the fundamentals of how to prevent phishing. Nobody can do this better than the Anti Phishing Work Group
Phishing Defined
Phishing is a criminal mechanism employing both social engineering and technical subterfuge to steal consumers’ personal identity data and financial account credentials. Social‐engineering schemes use spoofed e‐mails purporting to be from legitimate businesses and agencies to lead consumers to counterfeit websites designed to trick recipients into … (26 comments)
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identity theft expert: Operation Phish Phry Nabs 100 Identity Thieves
- 10/10/09 04:13 AM
Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano
US and Egyptian officials have charged 100 people with orchestrating a phishing scam that robbed a$1.5m from Bank of America and Wells Fargo customers.
53 criminals from CA, NV and NC were named in an indictment. This is the largest ever charged in a cybercrime case. Officials in Egypt nabbed another 47 people.
Egyptian criminals phished account numbers and accessed bank accounts. The Egyptians and the US phishers transferred money into mules accounts.
This is an example of the sophistication of criminal identity theft rings and organized global web mobs fully ramped up and knocking off … (3 comments)
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identity theft expert: Up to 1 Million email Accounts Phished for Identity Theft
- 10/08/09 02:45 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Hotmail, Earthlink, Google, Yahoo, Comcast and other web-based email users have been giving up al their login details to phishers and current estimates are as many as 1 million accounts may have been compromised.
News of the scam broke when technology blog neowin.net reported an anonymous user had published confidential details on pastebin.com. Internet users are urged to change their passwords regularly and ensure anti-virus software is up to date to protect themselves from fraudsters.
While phishing emails keep pouring in, their methods are changing rapidly. Posing as a Nigerian prince is still common, but not … (1 comments)
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Robert Siciliano identity theft expert Cybercriminals Take Advantage of the Holiday Season, Aiming to Steal Consumers’ Money, Identities and Financial Information
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