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Identity Theft Articles
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- Post Holiday Online Shopping Security - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWhen it comes to online security, don’t let your guard down just because the holiday shopping frenzy has passed. In fact, this may be the very time to put your guard up even higher. Though it’s smart to have your radar on for the scammers during the holidays, the scammers ...
Views: 910 - Data security policies need teeth to be effective - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2016 from Robert SicilianoBottom line: If you have a data security policy in place, you need to make sure that it’s up to date and contains all of the necessary elements to make it effective. Here are 10 essential items that should be incorporated into all security policies: 1. Manage employee email Many data ...
Views: 909 - Phishing Scams: Don't Click that Link! - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYou’re sitting on your front porch. You see a stranger walking towards your property. You have no idea whom he is. But he’s nicely dressed. He asks to come inside your house and look through your bank account records, view your checkbook routing number and account number, and jot ...
Views: 909 - Smartphones for Kids aren't such a good Idea - by Submitted on May 29, 2015 from Robert SicilianoMaybe you believe that kids should not have smartphones because the devices can tell a pedophile where a child is located. But there’s other reasons that perhaps you haven’t thought of: cyberbullying, violent porn, online drug purchases, you name it. Smartphones give kids ongoing ...
Views: 909 - Things to tell your Kids about Privacy Online - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThose were the days when all parents had to worry about was the creepy guy lurking near the playground. Now parents have to worry about creeps all over the world reaching their kids via computer. And there’s more to worry about. Here’s what to teach your kids: Screen names ...
Views: 909 - Learning to trust your Intuition - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe old TV show “Star Trek” has and episode where Spock is telling Kirk of a human flaw called intuition. Spock was all about analysis and logic, while Kirk often relied upon intuition to solve problems. Intuition is a complex human sense that isn’t entirely understood or even ...
Views: 908 - 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: 907 - Dust off your digital devices inside and out - by Submitted on Oct 05, 2015 from Robert SicilianoHackers know small companies are more vulnerable to data breaches due to limited resources. Cybersecurity should always be a high priority. But when a company’s IT staff consists of maybe 1-2 people who are provided limited budgets and are constantly solving other tech problems, the focus ...
Views: 907 - Dude hacked Lottery Computers - by Submitted on Jun 02, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWho needs psychics to reveal future lottery numbers when you can hack into the state lottery association and tamper with it? That apparently was the reasoning of Eddie Raymond Tipton, 51. Prosecutors believe Tipton inserted a thumb drive into a computer—the one that spits out random ...
Views: 906 - Meet the FBI's most wanted Hackers - by Submitted on Aug 28, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWant to earn up to $4.2 million? Then find the hackers on the FBI’s most wanted list. Or at least give the FBI information leading to their arrest and/or conviction. These snakes have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars. Here is the list from the hackernews.com: Evgeniy Mikhailovich ...
Views: 906 - Karate Woman breaks Assailant's Nose - by Submitted on Oct 18, 2016 from Robert Siciliano“I had my earphones in and didn’t know he was there until he threw me to the ground,” says Taela Davis, 25, of Australia in a heraldsun.com article. Big Mistake: Wearing earbuds while walking about in public. Even if you’re a big bruiser MMA fighter, you should not ...
Views: 904 - The Natural Predatory Nature of Humans - by Submitted on Feb 06, 2018 from Robert SicilianoA study published in Nature shows us that both evolution and genetics have made a big impact on the behavior of humans…including in the case of murder. However, as we have become more civilized, these instincts have been muted. Scientists have looked at the rate of homicide in more ...
Views: 904 - 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: 903 - Do you know what your Kids are doing online? - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYour child is active online. Did it ever occur to you that he or she uses a fake name so that they can’t be identified by you? Chances are, you, the parent, also uses a pseudonym. It’s very common. Cyberspace is full of obvious pseudonyms, but a phony name can also be a regular ...
Views: 903 - How Employers or Parents Spy - by Submitted on May 12, 2015 from Robert SicilianoDisgruntled employees act out in lots of ways. A guy I knew who hated his boss “played” on his work computer all day. The computer was strictly for constructing company graphics. But he installed all kinds of games and wasted lots of time. His boss never knew he blew off half the ...
Views: 903 - 11 Ways to Mitigate Insider Security Threats - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2016 from Robert SicilianoCompanies are constantly attacked by hackers, but what if those attacks come from the inside? More companies than ever before are dealing with insider security threats.Here are 11 steps that all organizations should take to mitigate these threats and protect important company data: Always ...
Views: 902 - 15 Tips to Ensure the Safety and Security of Your Home - by Submitted on May 23, 2018 from Robert SicilianoWhen is the last time you thought about the safety and security of your home? How about thinking about it right now? Do you do the following? If not, start, today: Do you have propane tanks for a gas grill? Or gasoline cans with gas in them? They aren’t supposed to be stored inside. ...
Views: 902 - How to identify Tax Scams - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe IRS isn’t your biggest enemy during tax season. It’s the criminals who pretend to be IRS reps and then con people out of their money. They contact potential victims chiefly through phone calls and text messages. Typically, the message is threatening in tone and/or content, ...
Views: 901 - Spy on your Kids yes or no - by Submitted on Jan 29, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIt’s one thing to bust into your kid’s diary and read it, but if your kids want the privilege of engaging in the cyber world, they need to understand that parents are justified in “spying” on them. Or are they? Depends on whom you ask and how far they go at “spying” on their kids. Frankly ...
Views: 901 - Don't Be Lazy With Your Passwords - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIt can be tough being a responsible adult sometimes, and managing these responsibilities isn’t always a chore that I want to deal with. Can you relate? Managing life takes focus and effort, and managing your online life is no different. Most of us are lazy with our online accounts, ...
Views: 900(1 vote) - Town sees Big Spike in Burglaries - by Submitted on Apr 24, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWhy are so many burglaries hounding the town of Los Altos in California? There were 79 reported in 2013, but 118 for 2014. This past January and February there were 36. At that rate, by Christmas 2015, it’s unthinkable what the total number of burglaries will be. In a report on ...
Views: 900 - Are you Mentally Prepared for a Predator - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2015 from Robert SicilianoA bear in the wild that wants to protect its young from another predator isn’t worried about manners. This is how people should feel when in circumstances that don’t feel right. The bear has a gut instinct not to let its young near a predator. A woman who feels funny about getting ...
Views: 899 - Eight security tips for travelers with laptop - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThese days, who doesn’t travel with their laptop? But commonality doesn’t make it inherently safe for your sensitive information that’s stored in the device. In fact, traveling with your laptop is inherently unsecure. Whether you’re traveling for business or to visit ...
Views: 899 - Is It Fraud or are You just Crazy? - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWhat would you rather have happen to you? A Russian ring of hackers has infiltrated your computer and smartphone and is hell-bent on taking control of your finances, social media life, even the smart gadgets in your house…OR…you’ve just been diagnosed with paranoid psychosis, ...
Views: 899 - Cheating Website hacked hard - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2015 from Robert SicilianoBad guys hacked bad guys. Hmmm, whose side should we take? Ashleymadison.com got hacked. This site helps and suggests married people cheat. The hack threatens millions of users, potentially revealing their credit card information, addresses, real names, pictures and content of their chat ...
Views: 898 - It's a Security System and More - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWARNING: Removing this video surveillance camera to kill evidence of your robbery will do you chickenfeed because the video of you is being stored in the cloud! Today’s security systems are so much more evolved than they were 20 years ago, even 10 years ago. We’ve all heard of ...
Views: 898 - Online Shopping and Counterfeit Goods – The Facts Don't Lie - by Submitted on Dec 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAs the holiday season creeps upon us, research shows that an astonishing 24% people who are buying online have been duped by scammers. Whether you are buying shoes, electronics or the latest fashions and accessories, research companies are showing that you are at risk of being duped. When you ...
Views: 898 - Trolls get Dose of Reality - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWell, you know that old saying: The viciousness of an online bully’s attack is inversely proportional to the size of his (you fill in the blank), I was thinking ego. Many online bullies are female, but in the case of former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s daughter, the trolls are ...
Views: 898 - What are Bug Bounties? - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2015 from Robert SicilianoA bug bounty refers to the reward a bad-guy hacker gets upon discovering a vulnerability, weakness or flaw in a company’s system. This is akin to giving a reward to a burglar for pointing out weaknesses in your home’s security. But whom better to ask than a burglar, right? Same ...
Views: 898 - Distracted Teen Drivers a Mess - by Submitted on May 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWorried about your teen causing a car accident from drinking too much? How about from being distracted too much? According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, distracted driving accounted for 58 percent of medium to severe wrecks involving teenagers, based on analysis of about 1,700 ...
Views: 897 - Don't's and Do's when using Public Wi-Fi - by Submitted on Aug 31, 2015 from Robert SicilianoCurl up in a chair at your favorite coffee house, the aroma of premium coffee filling the air, take a few sips of your 700 calorie latte, and then enter cyberspace. Little do you know that you could have a stalker. Or two. Or 3,000. Because public Wi-Fi is there for the picking for hackers. ...
Views: 897 - Private Investigator faces Jail for Hacking - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWhat a disgrace: A private investigator, Eric Saldarriaga, 41, got nailed for hacking into peoples’ e-mails. He may get six months in the can. Is six months reasonable for this, though? A recent online New York Times article quotes a prosecutor who points out that hackers could be ...
Views: 896 - Protect your Home post Holidays - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAfter Santa has gone back to the North Pole to take a long rest, don’t think for a second that burglars too will be resting in January. True, the holidays are a prime time for many burglaries, knowing that underneath that gargantuan Christmas tree in the picture window is surely a pile ...
Views: 896 - Your Hacked Mobile Phone Number is Like Your Social Security Number - by Submitted on Jan 24, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIf you have a cell phone, and you use it in any way associated with accessing online accounts (and many do), you are putting yourself at risk of getting hacked. With only a phone number and a bit of information, which is easy to get through social engineering, a hacker can break into your ...
Views: 895 - It’s Time to Get Serious About Education Cyber Security - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2017 from Michael PetersK-12 school systems, colleges, and universities are being increasingly targeted by hackers, yet education cyber security is as woefully lacking as other industries, as these recent incidents illustrate: • In November 2016, Columbia County School District in Georgia admitted to a breach of ...
Views: 894 - Protect your Identity when saying "I Do" - by Submitted on Oct 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWho has time to think about identity protection when planning a wedding? And why, for that matter? Well, there’s good reason: Marriage begets a change in identities. The months preceding the big day should be when the couple starts taking action to avoid identity theft. If ...
Views: 894 - What is Spam? - by Submitted on May 01, 2015 from Robert SicilianoEveryone’s heard of spam as it pertains to emails. Spam isn’t necessarily a malicious message designed to trick you into revealing your credit card number or PayPal login information. But spam is an unsolicited message, sometimes referred to as junk mail. Spam can be ...
Views: 893 - Pass word over load - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2011 from melissa campbellIt’s all come down to the fact that we all have too many pin numbers and passwords to remember. Have you ever taken the time to count up how many you use in the course of a day? Have you ever sat in-front of your screen and your mind has gone absolutely blank? If you think you’ve got it bad what ...
Views: 892(2 votes) - Equifax Exposed: Major Breach of Data from Major Credit Bureau - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIf you haven’t yet heard, Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States, has been hacked. What does this mean for you? It means that your Social Security number, and possibly even your driver’s license information, could be in the hands of hackers. Some are ...
Views: 891 - An ode to Angry Drivers - by Submitted on Jul 02, 2015 from Robert Siciliano“Wes” is a professional man who, if you saw walking on the street, you‘d easily imagine being jumped by a few teen punks and getting beaten up for his wallet. Wes is nearing retirement age, has a potbelly, doesn‘t work out, has grey hair—hardly an imposing figure. But ...
Views: 890 - How Passwords Get Hacked - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIf I wanted to crack one of your passwords, I could probably make a series of educated guesses and get pretty close. Why? Because people tend to stick with simple, easy to remember passwords, but these are the passwords that are easy to hack. According to Bill Carey, VP Marketing for ...
Views: 890 - Zeus Malware Gang take-down - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2015 from Robert SicilianoZeus is no longer a god of malware; he’s been taken down by law enforcement agencies spanning six European nations. Five people were recently arrested—believed to have infected tens of thousands of computers across the globe. There have been 60 total arrests pertaining to this ...
Views: 890 - What is PCI DSS Compliance? - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2017 from Michael PetersConfused about PCI DSS compliance and what your business needs to do to comply with it? This article will explain PCI DSS and the importance of complying with this important information security standard. What is PCI DSS? PCI DSS stands for the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security ...
Views: 889 - Phishing works and here's why - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2015 from Robert SicilianoA phishing e-mail is sent by a cyberthief to trick its recipient into revealing sensitive information so that the crook could steal money from the recipient or gain access to a business’s classified information. One way to lure an employee is for the crook to make the e-mail appear like it ...
Views: 888 - Take a Women's Self-Defense Course - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2015 from Robert SicilianoCrimes against women are often “crimes of opportunity”. The predator doesn’t care if the opportunity presents itself in a major bustling city or in a tiny town with a population of only 400. If he sees prey and nobody else is around, he’ll strike—big town, medium town or small ...
Views: 888 - What happens when a Bank Account is hacked? - by Submitted on Feb 24, 2015 from Robert SicilianoWho’d ever think that 50 years ago, your money was safer in your bank account than it is today in this “modern” age: remote theft. If you bank with a large or small bank, your account may be at risk by hacking rings. However, most of the time, but not always, if your account ...
Views: 888 - 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: 886 - Craigslist encounter ends very badly - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAt least one woman is happy that her driver drove like a drunk. That’s because his erratic driving caught the attention of troopers who pulled him over. They then heard a woman calling for help—from the backseat. She was bound and gagged with a bag over her head. The 41-year-old ...
Views: 886 - Police offer 18 Burglary Prevention Tips - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2015 from Robert SicilianoTo help keep your home and property safe from crime, the New Castle County Police Department provides the following guidelines: Sounds like a no-brainer, but so many people do otherwise: Keep your doors locked at all times. People will actually go to sleep with the front door ...
Views: 886