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Articles from Robert Siciliano | Selfgrowth.com
- Background Checks Don't Tell the Whole Story - by Submitted on Sep 14, 2018 from Robert SicilianoWhen it comes to background checks, the National Crime Information Center is the gold standard. It is only available to law enforcement agencies and is the most accurate and complete database tracking convictions and arrests in the US. That sounds pretty great, right? Unfortunately, it’s ...
Views: 707 - Bank Account depleted, Company sues - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIs it Bank of America’s fault that a hospital was hacked and lost over a million dollars? Chelan County Hospital No. 1 certainly thinks so, reports an article on krebsonsecurity.com. In 2013, the payroll accounts of the Washington hospital were broken into via cyberspace. Bank of ...
Views: 963 - Bank Tellers stealing Identities - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2016 from Robert SicilianoEver consider the possibility that a person gets a job as a bank teller…for the sole purpose of stealing a patron’s identity? Do you realize how easy this would be? No techy hacking skills required. No gun required. So we’ve all been instilled with fear of our bank ...
Views: 850 - Basics on How to prepare for a Disaster - by Submitted on Dec 17, 2015 from Robert SicilianoSituations that could put your routine or an entire city on hold include: Tornado Hurricane Flood Blizzard Power outage Contagious illness Your house should already be equipped with supplies for staying inside the house for at least a week, but ideally for two weeks. Keep a newer ...
Views: 915 - Be aware of all these Confidence Crimes - by Submitted on Aug 09, 2016 from Robert SicilianoCriminals often rely on tricking their victims to gain access to their passwords and other account information. This act of tricking is called social engineering, also known as a confidence crime, and it comes in many forms. A type of phishing e-mail where the criminal targets someone ...
Views: 793 - Be aware of all these Confidence Crimes - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2018 from Robert SicilianoCriminals have a reliance on tricking victims to get access to account information, like passwords. This is known as social engineering, and is also called a “confidence crime.” These come in many forms: Do Not Take the Bait of These Phishermen A phishing email that targets a ...
Views: 617 - Be Cautious When Using Wi-Fi - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe proliferation of mobile devices means that we can work or play online from almost anywhere, so it’s no surprise that public Wi-Fi networks have become more common. From hotels and coffee shops, to universities and city centers, Wi-Fi is widely available, but is connecting to these networks ...
Views: 1083 - 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 - Best practices for BYOD data storage - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement has in some ways saved companies money, but in other ways put customer data at risk. Employees are onsite, telecommuting or traveling on business. This means their devices, and company data could be anywhere at any given moment. A company manager or ...
Views: 921 - Beware of ALL these Scams - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2016 from Robert SicilianoScams targeting older people are probably very under-reported, as seniors don’t want to appear senile. The most vulnerable group is educated men over 55, because, quite frankly, they think they know everything. Sweepstakes/Lottery This scam comes in many forms, but the common ...
Views: 851 - Beware of Amazon's scary Customer Service Hack - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2016 from Robert SicilianoDo you shop at Amazon.com? Are you aware they have a back door through which hackers can slip in? Let’s look at Eric’s experience with hackers and Amazon, as he recounts at medium.com/@espringe. He received an e-mail from Amazon and contacted them to see what it was about. ...
Views: 982 - Beware of Apple ID Phishing Scams - by Submitted on Oct 08, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYou may have been scammed after you responded to an e-mail that appears it came from Apple. When hackers send e-mails that appear to come from a legitimate company like Apple (or Google, Microsoft, PayPal, etc.), with the objective of tricking the recipient into typing in passwords, usernames, ...
Views: 967 - 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 - Beware of Home Security Scams - by Submitted on Dec 11, 2014 from Robert SicilianoWill the home security scams ever stop? The latest scam has fraudsters going door to door, posing as sales reps for “Trio Alarm.” They first make sure that the houses they visit already have a security system (e.g., security decals on windows), then tell the occupant that the company ...
Views: 1063 - Beware of Hot and Cold Reading Scams - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2016 from Robert SicilianoMany so-called psychics are frauds. But so are some auto mechanics, lenders and roofers. There’s fraud in just about all lines of work. What we do know is this: There’s not enough evidence to refute paranormal phenomena. Nor enough to prove it beyond a doubt. And ...
Views: 1092 - Beware of Rogue Cell Phone Charging Stations - by Submitted on Dec 06, 2018 from Robert SicilianoHumans have evolved a new body part: the cell phone. One day it will be part of anatomical illustrations of the body in health and medical books probably an appendage on your head. I’m not a Dr. so don’t quote me. For now, we have to figure out a way to keep this appendage juiced ...
Views: 721 - Beware of scary WiFi Virus - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIt’s called Chameleon—a computer virus—but maybe it should be called FrankenVirus. You wouldn’t believe what it can do: literally move through the air, as in airborne—like a biological pathogen. And like some Franken-creation, it came from a laboratory, ...
Views: 1015 - Beware of the CEO E-mail Scam - by Submitted on May 11, 2016 from Robert SicilianoBeware of the B.E.C. scam, says a report at fbi.gov. The hackers target businesses and are good at getting what they want. The hackers first learn the name of a company’s CEO or other key figure such as the company’s lawyer or a vendor. They then figure out a way to make an ...
Views: 854 - Beware of the Jury Duty Scam - by Submitted on May 12, 2016 from Robert SicilianoImagine getting a call from someone identifying themselves as a federal court official or U.S. Marshal, informing you that your arrest is imminent unless you pay a cost—all because you failed to respond to a jury summons (which you don’t remember getting). I’d like to think ...
Views: 833 - Beware of the Social Security Administration Employee Scam - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2018 from Robert SicilianoThere is a new Social Security scam in the news, and you should definitely know about it. The Acting Inspector General of Social Security, released a statement that warns people of this new scheme. Basically, scammers are impersonating Social Security Administration employees. The scam ...
Views: 699 - Beware of these 10 Job Hunting Scams - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2015 from Robert SicilianoJust because a job recruiter says he’s from (fill in blank—any huge corporation) doesn’t mean the job can’t be a scam. Anyone could say they’re from Microsoft or Google. Impersonating a representative from a big-name company is one way to fool gullible job ...
Views: 1294 - Beware of these 10 Nasty Scams - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2015 from Robert SicilianoLet’s look at the top 10 scams (random order). Charity A fraudster claims to represent a charitable organization. Such scams can operate ring-style, such as one out in Colorado some years ago in which women wearing crisp white dresses that resembled the dresses nurses used to wear, ...
Views: 1130 - Beware of these 4 Scams - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIRS The e-mail (or phone call) says you owe money; if you don’t pay it immediately, you’ll be put in jail or fined.The scammer may know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security number. Caller ID will be spoofed to look like the call is from the IRS. The ...
Views: 862 - Beware of those hackable Holiday Gifts - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIf you’re going to drone on and on about how you got hacked by a cyber thief, maybe it’s because you played with your new drone—you know, those rad little flying devices that hover via remote control over your street? Yes, they are hackable. If you don’t have a drone, ...
Views: 920 - Beware of Vacation Rental Scams this Summer - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2015 from Robert SicilianoTalk about getting taken to the cleaners: Imagine you spot a great summer rental property advertised online. Looks wonderful. The deal sounds too good to be true, but the owner tells you (via e-mail or even phone) that the fee is correct. You apply for the rent and send in the required upfront ...
Views: 896 - Big Bad Hackers taken down - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2015 from Robert SicilianoDarkode anyone? Not anymore. This underground bad hackers’ forum was recently demolished by the FBI, says a report on www.justice.gov. The dozen hackers associated with Darkode are facing criminal charges. Though there are about 800 of such forums, Darkode was among the worst (or shall ...
Views: 961 - Bitcoin Scams Up the Ying Yang - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2018 from Robert SicilianoIf you are thinking of jumping onto the Bitcoin bandwagon, or any type of cryptocurrency, you have to make sure that you are watching out for scams. There are a ton of them out there, including the following: Fake Bitcoin Exchanges You have to use a Bitcoin exchange if you want to buy or ...
Views: 796 - Bitdefender's BOX: All-in-one Cybersecurity from one App - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2016 from Robert SicilianoGee, if your home is connected to lots of different devices, doesn’t it make sense that your cybersecurity integrates all your connected devices? Meet the Bitdefender BOX, a network bulletproofing hardware cybersecurity tool for the home that embraces smart home protection focusing on the ...
Views: 1085 - Black Hat 2017 was an Amazing Event - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIn July, more than 15,000 security pros, hackers, hobbyists, and researchers met in Las Vegas for the Black Hat Conference 2017 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. This was the 20th year that the security conference was held, and both black and white hat hackers joined together to discuss ...
Views: 949 - Blackhat Hackers Love Office Printers - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2017 from Robert SicilianoThe term, or in this case the word “blackhat” in tech generally refers to a criminal hacker. The opposite of black is white and a “whitehat” is a security professional. These terms originate from the “spaghetti western” movies when the bad guy cowboy wore a ...
Views: 860 - Boy Scouts of America 12,000 Sex Abuse Victims is Normal - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2019 from Robert SicilianoThe Boy Scouts of American is no stranger to controversy, and now new information is shedding light on how many leaders were actually involved in a sex abuse scandal. According to official records of the Boy Scouts, more than 12,000 children were sexually assaulted while in the scout program. ...
Views: 665 - Burglars Use Social to target Victims - by Submitted on Nov 05, 2015 from Robert SicilianoSo you think it’s really a far-out left-field idea: a burglar studying Facebook and other social media to select homes to rob. Well think again. A survey, conducted by home security expert Friedland, found: 78 percent of burglars use social media to select targets. 74 percent touted ...
Views: 964 - Business Credit Scores 101 - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2016 from Robert SicilianoAre you a small business? Do you know your business’s credit score? The range is zero to 100 for most credit reporting agencies, with at least 75 being desirable if you want to be approved for financing and trade credit (business loan or line of credit), says a report at nav.com and from ...
Views: 846 - Business Identity Theft: Beware of Identity Thieving Employees - by Submitted on Dec 31, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWow, a lawyer in Memphis got scammed by his secretary—she embezzled over $362,000 from him, says an article on wreg.com. Attorney Jerry Schatz hired Teresa Sumpter, 48, in July of 2013. Little did he know that his assistant would end up stealing checks from his trust account, forging ...
Views: 829 - Businesses struggling to keep up with latest wave of malware attacks - by Submitted on Feb 29, 2016 from Robert SicilianoCompanies have been struggling for years to keep cyber-attacks at bay. Cyberthieves are working faster than ever before to send out their malicious attacks, and it’s become increasingly difficult for companies to keep up. CNN reports that almost one million malware strains are ...
Views: 849 - Busted!: Large Identity Fraud Rings Fall Apart - by Submitted on Jan 07, 2016 from Robert SicilianoA group of people who are actively collaborating to commit identity fraud is known as an identity fraud ring. These rings are generally made up of two or more career criminals, often including family members or close friends. These rings work by members either stealing a victim’s identity ...
Views: 954 - Busting Down the Door: 12 Ways to Stop Burglars from Entering Your Home - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2017 from Robert SicilianoThere is no such thing as a home that is fully burglar-proof, but there is also no such thing as burglars who have the skills of Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible. With the right security in place, you can get your home almost burglar-proof. When most people think of security, they only ...
Views: 1146 - Butthead Burglar buttdials Cops - by Submitted on Oct 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYou know what a “buttdial” is. This is when a person has a seat somewhere, and the ensuring pressure of their butt against the seat accidentally presses upon the keypad of the phone that’s in their pocket. Or they don’t lock their phone and their fingers indiscriminately ...
Views: 886 - Can an App really act as a Bodyguard? - by Submitted on Mar 27, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIn the event of an attack, new smartphone applications can be used to send an alarm to a pre-chosen person. And the potential victims location can then be tracked. But is this faster and more secure than a woman whipping out pepper spray and blasting a drunken buffoon who has her cornered in ...
Views: 926 - Can the cloud be trusted? - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2016 from Robert SicilianoMost people have heard of storing information in “the cloud,” but do you know what this means, and if it is even safe? A cloud is basically a network of servers that offer different functions. Some of these servers allow you to store data while others provide various services. The ...
Views: 850 - Can Two-Factor Authentication actually fail? - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2016 from Robert SicilianoYou’ve probably read many times that two-factor authentication is a superb extra layer of protection against a thief hacking into your accounts, because gaining access requires entering a One Time Passcode (OTP)—sent via text or voice—into a login field. In other words, no ...
Views: 823 - Card Company's boosting Payment Security with Mobile - by Submitted on Dec 18, 2014 from Robert SicilianoWhoever thought that one day, paying with green paper would be viewed as primitive as a horse and buggy? We seem to be getting closer to that time, especially since the security of making payments via smartphone is always being improved. One way is with fingerprint scanning. Some smartphones ...
Views: 980 - Carders cashing out on Magstrip Cards - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2016 from Robert SicilianoTwo thousand credit card payment terminals stand to become infected with malware called Trinity point of sales. Ten million credit cards were stolen by hackers, called Fin6, who may end up scoring $400 million. The cards were stolen from retail and hospitality businesses. If each card sells ...
Views: 790 - Career Criminal goes down - by Submitted on Dec 11, 2015 from Robert SicilianoA sharp nine-year-old girl has a biting message to a 51-year-old man, according to an article on myfoxboston.com: “You deserve to stay in jail because you break into peoples houses. Stop breaking into peoples houses and do something with your life.” This advice was directed to ...
Views: 973 - Case allows Employees to run amok on Social Media - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2016 from Robert SicilianoLesson learned: If you run a fast-food restaurant or any company for that matter, you’d better treat your employees right. After all, they have a legal right to tweet all they want about you. A Chipotle Mexican Grill in Havertown, PA, had a ban in place: Employees are prohibited from ...
Views: 862 - 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 - Catfishing Scammer tells all - by Submitted on Sep 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoCatfishing is when someone creates a phony online account—and not necessarily to scam someone for financial gain. An article on vice.com tells all about a person who’s been catfishing for eight years. She started in middle school by creating “Joey” on MySpace. She then ...
Views: 881 - Catphishing is a Heartless Scam - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWhen someone online presents as a different person than their true self, this is called catphishing, and it occurs on online dating sites. Google the name of the object of your interest. Obviously, “Kelly Smith” and “John Miller” won’t get you far, but ...
Views: 1047 - Celebrate World Password Day in 2016 With These Tips - by Submitted on May 04, 2016 from Robert SicilianoEach year, researchers in security take the time to rate some of the worst passwords found on the Internet. While popular pop culture events have caused waves with the list of the worst passwords of 2015 – think “solo,” “starwars,” and “princess” – ...
Views: 868 - Change Passwords or not; that is the Question - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2016 from Robert SicilianoWe’re told to change our passwords often to minimize getting hacked. Now we’re told this is a bad thing. But not for any inherent techy reason. It’s because frequent password changing makes many people lower their guard when it comes to creating new passwords. They get lax ...
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