Internet of Things security check: How 3 smart devices can be dumb about the...
Internet of Things security is no longer a foggy future issue, as more and more such devices enter the market—and our lives. From self-parking cars to home automation systems to wearable smart...
View ArticleHow to prevent ransomware: What one company learned the hard way
In the real world, kidnapping is a risky crime—getting paid usually means getting caught. In the digital world, however, demanding ransom for data, or ransomware, is an escalating epidemic, a popular...
View ArticleThe easy Java and Flash security fix everyone hates to do
Quickly patching vulnerable software is key to keeping computer systems secure. Yet, consumers are increasingly leaving their systems open to attack by failing to patch two ubiquitous third-party...
View Article3 easy steps to save yourself from stupid passwords
Passwords are stupid. Yet what’s stupid about passwords is not that they are inherently insecure, but they allow users—and in fact, encourage users—to do insecure things. When faced with the creation,...
View ArticleSecure your home network—and every device attached to it—in 3 simple steps
In 2014, companies announced nearly a breach every day, exposing an average of 1.1. million identities per breach. For consumers, the news appears grim. From ads on major websites infecting consumers’...
View ArticleHow to prevent mobile malware in 3 easy steps
Looking only at the data provided by security firms, the world appears on the verge of a mobile malware apocalypse. The number of samples—which represent unique, but mostly automatically generated...
View Article5 steps to keep your smart home from being hacked
Consumers who outfit their homes with home automation devices without considering security may be inviting hackers and thieves inside. Repeatedly, studies have revealed that devices designed to...
View ArticleNFC security: 3 ways to avoid being hacked
Here's what to keep in mind as near-field communications (NFC), the technology that allows Apple iPhone users to tap and pay, takes off. By the end of 2015, more than a billion phones will have the...
View ArticleThe 3-step plan to make your website harder to hack
When a big website like Lenovo’s gets hacked, it’s news. But most such attacks take place under the radar, at smaller sites lacking the skills or time to protect themselves. Take the legions of...
View ArticleTrust no one: How caller ID spoofing has ruined the simple phone call
I was walking through San Francisco when my phone buzzed. No caller ID, but the phone number was local, so I picked it up. Calling the man on the other end “irate” would be an understatement. "Stop....
View ArticleInternet of Things security check: How 3 smart devices can be dumb about the...
Internet of Things security is no longer a foggy future issue, as more and more such devices enter the market—and our lives. From self-parking cars to home automation systems to wearable smart...
View ArticleRansomware's latest threats: What to do about CryptoWall, Chimera and their ilk
Ransomware thieves have come up with creative new schemes in the past month. Current ransomware typically encrypts victims’ data and then threatens to delete the key if payment is not made. The latest...
View ArticleWhy stolen laptops still cause data breaches, and what's being done to stop...
Every time a stolen laptop leads to a data breach, you wonder why the business involved hadn’t set up any safeguards. When the unencrypted laptop was stolen from a former physician at the University...
View ArticleHow to make bad passwords better, and more hope for the future of authentication
Would you tell me your password? Probably not, but there might be a good chance I could guess it. In SplashData’s list of the the worst passwords of 2015, culled from data from various breaches and...
View ArticleOnline privacy: 3 ways to ward off cyber criminals and snoops
It’s easy to forget why online privacy is important until something salacious, like last year’s Ashley Madion hack, brings the risks to the forefront. The fact is, our increasingly connected lives...
View ArticleSpotty Android encryption is the story behind the story of Apple’s battle...
Savvy Android users know that Apple’s face-to-face with the FBI is only the beginning of the phone-encryption furor. Google CEO Sundar Pichai voiced his support for Apple and for strong and safe...
View ArticlePhone hackers for hire: A peek into the discreet, lucrative business tapped...
When the FBI paid someone to crack the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, it didn’t just deftly bypass Apple’s objections. It also made the public aware of the business side of hacking—a business that...
View ArticleWhat to ask your doctor, lawyer, and accountant about protecting your...
Accountants, doctors, and law firms—we trust them with our sensitive information, but increasingly it’s obvious that these businesses, as well as the government agencies who hold such information, are...
View ArticleHow to keep USB thumb drive malware away from your PC
Maybe you know not to plug strange USB drives into your computer, but trends indicate that most people think nothing of it. This is not a new risk. A decade ago, a group of penetration...
View ArticleAll about your 'fullz' and how hackers turn your personal data into dollars
If cyber criminals have a Holy Grail, it’s your fullz, or your full set of personal information. And they’ll go to great lengths to get it. Since 2005, more than 6,000 companies and organizations have...
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