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Articles from Robert Siciliano | Selfgrowth.com
- Facebook Wants my Social Security Number! - by Submitted on Jun 06, 2019 from Robert SicilianoWTH Facebook? Generally, I don’t have a problem giving out my SSN. That might seem contrary to the advice I give, but frankly, our SSNs are everywhere and if my insurance company needs it, I’ll generally just question them on it, maybe resist a bit, and if they insist, and I need ...
Views: 786 - Should Life Insurance Policies Be Banned? - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2019 from Robert SicilianoIt’s fair to wonder how many people would still be alive today if there were never any such thing as a life insurance policy. Personally I can’t imagine NOT having a life insurance policy if you have children 17 and under. But the below info might ring true for some of you. An ...
Views: 786 - Protect Yourself from Online Dating Scams - by Submitted on Mar 18, 2016 from Robert Siciliano$200 million: The amount people were ripped off by online dating scams in a year. DUI: dating while under the influence…of the quest for love…is costly to countless people. A nytimes.com article notes that this quest impairs judgment, making it easy for con artists to bilk ...
Views: 785 - Secret Self-Defense Weapons You Might Not Know About - by Submitted on May 02, 2018 from Robert SicilianoDo you have a secret self-defense weapon on hand that you don’t even know about? Here’s a few: Canes. Might seem obvious…but… Your first instinct would probably be to swing the cane like a baseball bat. However, this isn’t the best way. An attacker can easily ...
Views: 784 - Parents legally can spy on their Kids - by Submitted on May 27, 2016 from Robert SicilianoJust because something is legal, does that mean you should do it? In the case of spying on your kids’ phone activities, some say yes. Though the very same mode of operation is illegal in most states when the eavesdropper is your boss or anyone else and you’re the ...
Views: 783 - Securing Your Home's Door: Secrets Your Locksmith Won't Tell You - by Submitted on Sep 18, 2017 from Robert SicilianoAre you making a big home security mistake? If you are leaving your doors unlocked, or if you are using low quality lock systems, you are putting yourself…and your home…at risk. However, just because your door is locked, it doesn’t mean that a burglar can’t kick the ...
Views: 783 - Self-Defense Options You Might Not Know About - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2018 from Robert SicilianoIf you are like most people, you probably haven’t done a lot of thinking about what you would do in a situation involving physical assault. Why would you? I mean, it’s unpleasant and scary. Further, depending on your physical makeup, you may think you’d probably lose anyway. ...
Views: 783 - You need Two-Factor Verification for your Amazon Account - by Submitted on Sep 06, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIf you have a strong password for your Amazon account, you may still want to consider beefing up the security with two-factor verification (or authentication), which will prevent a thief from accessing your account (which is possible if he gets ahold of your password and username ...
Views: 783 - Hacking Cars Getting Easier and More Dangerous - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIf your car is in any way connected to the Internet, it can get hacked into. You know it’s only a matter of time before hackers begin infiltrating motor vehicles in droves, being that vehicles are plagued with hundreds to thousands of security vulnerabilities. This hack is more serious ...
Views: 782 - Popular Passwords make it easy to hack You - by Submitted on Mar 02, 2016 from Robert SicilianoYour account passwords should be as unique as your fingerprint—to make them less hackable by crooks using password-guessing software that can run through millions of possible combinations in just minutes. And if you have an easy password, there may be a hit within 10 seconds. Think ...
Views: 781 - Identity Theft on the rise affecting over 13 Million - by Submitted on Mar 14, 2016 from Robert Siciliano13.1 million people were stricken by identity theft last year in America, reports a study by Javelin Strategy & Research which reveals: Many people who don’t trust their banks are unwittingly doing things that make crime easier for crooks. This includes not using the bank’s ...
Views: 780 - 32 Million Twitter Pass for sale Add two-factor NOW - by Submitted on Jul 21, 2016 from Robert SicilianoThe Dark Web, according to LeakedSource, got ahold of 33 million Twitter account details and put them up for sale. Twitter thus locked the accounts for millions of users. Twitter, however, doesn’t believe its servers were directly attacked. So what happened? The bad guys may have ...
Views: 779 - Your Ransomware Response: Prepare for the Worst - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2016 from Robert SicilianoA ransomware attack is when your computer gets locked down or your files become inaccessible, and you are informed that in order to regain use of your computer or to receive a cyber key to unlock your files, you must pay a ransom. Typically, cybercriminals request you pay them in ...
Views: 779 - Before you die, do This - by Submitted on May 06, 2016 from Robert Siciliano“Nobody likes to do it, but it has to be done.” You’ve heard that before. This time, it applies to 26 documents that you should have all bundled up in a folder that trusted family members have access to (someplace where fire and water won’t damage them). But first ...
Views: 778(1 vote) - How to Rock the Room as a Professional Speaker - by Submitted on Jan 19, 2016 from Robert SicilianoFor those of you who want to knock your presentations out of the park and be the speaker everyone raves about, Victoria LaBalme is leading an unbelievably unique workshop titled Rock the Room LIVE. If you create and deliver keynotes, trainings, breakouts, podcasts, videos, webinars or ...
Views: 778 - Security training: the Human Being is impossible to fix - by Submitted on Dec 08, 2016 from Robert SicilianoAs long as humans sit at computer screens, there will always be infected computers. There’s just no end to people being duped into clicking links that download viruses. A report at theregister.co.uk explains how subjects, unaware they were guinea pigs, fell for a phishing ...
Views: 778 - Set up Family's Controls on Home Computers - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2016 from Robert SicilianoThe computers in your household should have controls on them for security—even if you don’t have children living with you. Chrome OS On the Chrome browser in the upper right are three horizontal lines; click this symbol. Click “Add supervised user.” Enter the name ...
Views: 778 - Phishing Protection 101 - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2016 from Robert SicilianoPhishing-type e-mails are designed to trick the recipient into either downloading a virus (which then gives the hacker remote control of the computer) or revealing enough information for the thief to open credit cards in the victim’s name, get into their bank account, etc. There are ...
Views: 776 - Consumers Have Given Up on Security - by Submitted on Jan 30, 2017 from Robert SicilianoAccording to a recent study, online security for most people is too bothersome. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology published the study, which shows that most people who use the internet have just given up and don’t follow the advice given to them about online ...
Views: 775 - Protect Yourself from Phishing - by Submitted on Mar 22, 2016 from Robert SicilianoEveryone has received very obvious “phishing” e-mails: Messages in your in-box that have outrageous subject lines like “Your Account Will Be Suspended,” or, “You Won!” While some phishing attacks are obvious, others look harmless, such as those in a ...
Views: 774 - Man Breaks into Home, hides under Bed for Days - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWow, it’s true: The monster under the bed really does exist! Recently in New Jersey a man broke into a home and hid under a bed in a spare room for possibly five days before being arrested. Margaret Adamcewicz reportedly stated that the man, Jason Hubbard, had dated her daughter five ...
Views: 773 - Beware of Conference Invitation Scams - by Submitted on May 30, 2019 from Robert SicilianoConference invitation scams are those that involve a scammer sending invitations out to events with the intention of scamming the invitees. These might be real events or fake events, and the scammers target people including business professionals, lecturers, CEOs, researchers, philanthropists, ...
Views: 772 - Location Apps make it easy for Thieves - by Submitted on Mar 05, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIf you’re using the app Strava for example, your bike could get stolen, says a report on the manchestereveningnews site. Strava, like many other location apps, isn’t the badguy here. Bicyclists in Greater Manchester are being warned that Strava’s tracking could lead thieves ...
Views: 771 - Ransomware as a Service: A new threat to businesses everywhere - by Submitted on Mar 13, 2016 from Robert SicilianoCyber criminals have been attempting to extort money from individuals and companies for many years, and the latest attempt to take advantage of others is by using Ransomware as a Service, or RaaS. A ransomware virus infects a computer when a user clicks a link and unknowingly download a ...
Views: 771 - Home Security Cameras 101: Filming - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2016 from Robert SicilianoBefore buying a security camera, ask yourself: Where do you want to place it? How well-hidden can it be or does it need to be? Are you familiar with laws pertaining to filming people with or without their knowledge? Where is setting up the camera illegal? Bathrooms, locker rooms, ...
Views: 770 - Mortgage Scams plague Homeowners and Agents - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2016 from Robert SicilianoThere are things you should know before you purchase your next house—even if you foresee that being years away. Take note of what’s in this article—and keep the notes where you’ll never forget where they are. A hacker could fool you into thinking he’s your agent ...
Views: 770 - Remove your Home from Google maps - by Submitted on May 19, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIf it unsettles you to see your home displayed on Google Maps, there’s something you can do about this. Why might this be a concern? Information is “intelligence”. Information to some is power. The logistics of your home may empower certain people, like burglars. Example; if ...
Views: 769 - Yes, Macs Can get Malware - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2016 from Robert SicilianoSo Macs can be infected with malware. Who would have ever thought? The malware at issue here is the dreaded ransomware. Ransomware scrambles up your files, and the hacker at the helm says he’ll give you the cyber “key” in exchange for a handsome payment. Ransomware ...
Views: 769 - Desperate Teens Turning to Prostitution and Drug Dealing to Survive - by Submitted on Jan 20, 2017 from Robert SicilianoTeenagers across the country are falling into drug dealing, theft, and prostitution in order to eat. This, according to a recent study, which found that poverty has been increasing throughout the U.S. Researchers at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. have taken a close look at the ...
Views: 768 - Parents Beware of Finstagram - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2017 from Robert SicilianoYou have surely heard of Instagram, the photo sharing social network, but what about “Finstagram?” If you are like most parents, you have rules about the social media practices of your kids. However, once you learn about Finstagram, those might all go out the window. When you ...
Views: 768 - Rapist runs off when Victim bites Him in Neck - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2016 from Robert SicilianoWhoever said that fighting back at a rapist will probably create more problems for the victim might want to rethink this idea. How disabling can a bite to the rapist’s neck be when the biter is a human? I mean, we’re not talking about a dog biting the man. When it comes to biting, ...
Views: 767 - Small Business a favorite Attack Vector - by Submitted on Dec 29, 2016 from Robert SicilianoSmall businesses are hardly immune to attacks by hackers. The illusion of low attack risks comes from the publicity that only huge corporations get when they are breached, like Target, Sony and Anthem. These are giants, so of course it makes headline news. But when a “ma and pa” ...
Views: 767 - Finding out which Employees keep clicking on Phishing E-mails - by Submitted on Sep 26, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYou have the best IT security, but dang it…the bad guys keep getting in. This means someone inside your house keeps opening the back door and letting the thieves slip inside. You have to find out who this enabler in your company is, and it may be more than one. They don’t know ...
Views: 765 - Second Hand and Discarded Devices Lead to Identity Theft - by Submitted on May 10, 2017 from Robert SicilianoA new study was just released by the National Association for Information Destruction. What did it find? Astonishingly, about 40% of all digital devices that are found on the second-hand market had personal information left on them. These include tablets, mobile phones, and hard drives. The ...
Views: 764 - Shred your Boarding Pass - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2016 from Robert SicilianoApparently there are people who take pictures of their airplane boarding pass…and post it online. I’m dead serious. I’ve heard of toddlers getting excited over scraps of paper, but full-grown adults posting images of their boarding pass online? Don’t get me ...
Views: 761 - Beautiful Buxom Brunette Lures Boxer to His Death - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2018 from Robert SicilianoEddie Leal, 23, was an up-and-coming professional boxer who gave free boxing lessons in his garage to down-and-out neighborhood teens. He was a good guy. And like most young men, was looking for a girlfriend. One day he saw that a young woman, Rebecca Santhiago, was asking for a friend ...
Views: 760 - It Should Be Illegal for Teen Girls to Give Rides to Strangers - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2018 from Robert SicilianoIf only. But that’ll never be. Brandi Hicks, 17, and her high school friend, Liz Reiser, exited a video store at 9:30 pm, where they were approached by Matthew Vaca, a creepy acting stranger. He asked them for a ride to his house. At first they refused, but then he offered $20 for gas. ...
Views: 760 - Posting Kids' Photos online is illegal? - by Submitted on Apr 22, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIn France, anything is possible. Like getting tossed in jail for posting your children’s photos on Facebook. Yes indeed, it’s true. People in France might be put behind bars for putting their kids’ pictures on Facebook. Or, they may face heavy fines. This is because the ...
Views: 760 - Creating a “Plan B” for Survival - by Submitted on May 09, 2018 from Robert SicilianoWhat do you do if you have a “Plan A” for survival, but you realize that it’s a bad plan. Do you have a “Plan B?” Forget about doing things like running to the grocery store right before the snow storm of the century hits. Everyone else in your town or city will ...
Views: 759 - IRS Identity Theft Prevention Tool hacked - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2016 from Robert SicilianoThe Identity Protection PIN tool on the IRS.gov site has been temporarily suspended—because it was recently hacked into. The tool provides retrieval of forgotten or lost IP PINs to users who want an extra layer of protection against identity theft. But some users who received the IP ...
Views: 759 - Safety Tips for Lone Female Road Travelers - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2016 from Robert SicilianoRule #1 for women traveling alone: Do not look or act like prey, as this will grab the attention of any predator nearby. Looking like non-prey may be difficult for some women, but one way is to dress in black. Black is the color of authority (e.g., judges, nuns, priests, referees, police ...
Views: 759 - Ransomware a $2.5 Million Service - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2016 from Robert SicilianoOne bitcoin = $590. If you’re sucked into a ransomware scam, you’ll likely be charged at least one bitcoin for the cyber key to unlock your computer’s files—that are being held hostage by hackers. A report from Check Point Software Technologies and IntSights has ...
Views: 756 - Social Engineering: How to steal Brand New iPhones from Apple - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2016 from Robert SicilianoLooks like there’s some worms in Apple. Not too long ago, dozens and dozens of iPhones were stolen from two Apple stores. How could this happen, what with Apple’s security? Simple: The thieves wore clothes similar to Apple store employees and obviously knew the innards of the ...
Views: 756 - Catfished Teen Murders Her Best Friend - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2019 from Robert SicilianoA teenager in Alaska, Denali Brehmer, killed her best friend after a man she met on the internet offered her $9 million to commit the murder. Brehmer, who is 18-years old, killed her 19-year old friend, Cynthia Hoffman, by shooting her in the back of the head at the urging of Darin Schilmiller, ...
Views: 754 - Half of American Adults on FBIs Biometric Database - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2017 from Robert SicilianoHere’s a bit of a shock for you: about half of all adult Americans have a photograph stored in the FBI facial recognition database. What’s even more shocking, it is that these photos are being stored without the consent of the individuals. Approximately 80 percent of the photos the ...
Views: 754 - Predators hunting Kids on Gaming Sites - by Submitted on Jun 27, 2016 from Robert SicilianoAs a parent, you may not be crazy about your child spending a lot of time “gaming.” Chances are good that your feelings are fueled by the fact that kids should play outside, be more social, and are getting addicted to tech or maybe the correlation between childhood obesity and excess ...
Views: 751 - Scareware Scam almost snags Victim - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2016 from Robert SicilianoCybercriminals know that the best way to get their claws on the next victim is to appeal to their emotions, not logic. There’s lots of scary things in life, and one is learning that your computer has been infected with a virus. If this happens, you’re now vulnerable to spending ...
Views: 751 - What your Locksmith might not tell You - by Submitted on May 02, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIf your deadbolt has begun to malfunction, and you haven’t been using it because you fear the key will get jammed in it—perhaps it’s time to call a locksmith and have him fix it. Well, not so fast. This is not the way to go if you want to upgrade your door’s ...
Views: 750 - Protecting Yourself from a Data Breach requires Two Step Authentication - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2018 from Robert SicilianoHave you ever thought about how a data breach could affect you personally? What about your business? Either way, it can be devastating. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect your personal or business data, and it’s easier than you think. Don’t assume that protecting ...
Views: 749 - Your Social Security Card Gets Stolen: Now What? - by Submitted on Jan 04, 2018 from Robert SicilianoYou might be shocked to know that when Social Security numbers were first given in the 1930s, the intention was never to use them as a form of identification. However, most of us use our Social Security numbers all of the time, from doing transactions at the bank to visiting our doctor’s ...
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