The Singapore summit was the focus of news stories this week. The media descended on Singapore to capture all of the news. When journalists started posting pictures of the contents of the gift bags that they were given at the summit by a company associated with the local government, cybersecurity experts from around the world … Continue Reading
If you have ever purchased tickets from Ticketfly, be aware that it took its homepage offline last week because it has experienced a “cyber incident.” It stated that “Following a series of recent issues with Ticketfly properties, we’ve determined that Ticketfly has been the target of a cyber incident…” A hacker, self-dubbed IsHaKdZ confirmed and … Continue Reading
Admittedly, parents of teens have unique worries about their children. So-called “helicopter parents” worry more than others. A perfect app for such parents is Teen Safe, which allows those worried parents to monitor their children’s location, text messages, call history, app downloads and browsing history. Yikes—the only monitor I ever had with my kids was … Continue Reading
I have been watching several articles published by ZDNet with interest. First, ZDNet reported that “four of the largest cell giants in the US are selling your real-time location data to a company that you’ve probably never heard about before.” That company is LocationSmart, which touts itself as a data aggregator that has “direct connections” … Continue Reading
Update on Removing Your Name from Offers of Credit or Insurance and Access to Disclosure Report from NCTUE Last week’s Privacy Tip touched a nerve with many readers, and I received numerous comments and thank you’s from loyal readers who, like me, also had no idea about NCTUE or that they could opt out of … Continue Reading
Just when I thought I had frozen all of my credit, and was doing everything I can to protect myself from identity theft and fraud, I find out today about another one from KrebsOnSecurity. I am pretty knowledgeable on the subject matter of credit freezes, and have been an advocate of placing a credit freeze on … Continue Reading
As a frequent traveler, both personally and professionally, this bit of research unnerved me. Of course, it makes sense when you think about it, and none of us should be surprised, but it is a good reminder for those of us who are on the road a lot. Security researchers at F-Secure in Finland report … Continue Reading
How low can these scammers go? Too low. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is alerting consumers this week that imposters are calling people, and saying they are from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), then telling them that they may be eligible for compensation from the fund. They have spoofed New York area codes … Continue Reading
Here’s a great idea offered by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Better Business Bureau: while you are doing your spring cleaning, don’t forget to do a digital spring cleaning too—that is, your computer, cellphone and Internet-connected devices. The tips acknowledge that we all have information contained on our computers, cellphones and mobile devices … Continue Reading
Many readers know that it would be a cold day in H-E-Double Hockey Sticks (Go Bruins!) that I have in the past or ever in the future will take an online quiz. Why on earth would anyone do that? What is the benefit to you of participating in a seemingly innocuous quiz about yourself and … Continue Reading
I have the privilege of teaching Privacy Law at Roger Williams University School of Law, one of the few law schools in the country to offer the course. This is the fourth year the course has been offered, and the students who take the course are bright and engaged. The fun thing about teaching the … Continue Reading
As our readers know, I am particularly interested in protecting our seniors from fraud. They continue to be a vulnerable population and unfortunately, here is another scam that makes me mad: social security fraud. Many elect to have their social security payments deposited by direct deposit, and in fact, it is required by the Social … Continue Reading
I was so honored to be a presenter at the Bryant Women’s Summit last week. It is always an incredible event and I enjoy attending every year. But the bonus for me this year is that I also got to interact with a lively group of executive and professional women that were eager to learn … Continue Reading
There is a global malware campaign that is targeting mobile devices across the world. It is called Dark Caracal, which is believed to be sourced in Beirut by the Lebanese General Security Directorate. According to security researchers, attacks on mobile devices are on the rise because people are using their smartphones more than they are … Continue Reading
This writer has been lamenting for years about the fact that Medicare recipients’ Social Security numbers are included on the face of the card. This is an unnecessary risk posed to Medicare recipients, which are primarily senior citizens, some of our most vulnerable citizens, who are already preyed upon by scammers. Medicare has recognized the … Continue Reading
When talking to colleagues and friends, it appears that folks do not understand how their smartphones work and the data that can be accessed through them. This prompted me to again give basic steps that can be used to protect personal information that can be accessed, legitimately and in an unauthorized manner through the settings … Continue Reading
According to a Proofpoint study that analyzed 160 billion emails delivered to 2,400 global companies at the end of 2017, 88.8 percent of organizations were targeted by at least one email phishing attack over the past year. This is an increase over its 2016 report conclusion of 75 percent. In addition, more identities were spoofed … Continue Reading
It is a myth that employees hate training and education. I have seen it with my own eyes. It is very exciting to watch an audience visibly cover their mouths when real life stories are told about cyber-attacks and phishing incidents that employees’ conduct cause because they are working too fast, not paying attention to … Continue Reading
It is well known that hackers and fraudsters surf Facebook to find individuals who have not protected their information through Facebook’s privacy settings. People put a lot of information on Facebook that is very personal and can give criminals detailed leads on how to launch successful campaigns against unsuspecting victims. Less publicized is the fact … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a scam alert this week notifying consumers that it has received an up-tick in complaints that scammers are calling consumers claiming they are from the Social Security Administration. The scammers tell the individual that there has been a computer problem at the Social Security Administration and that they need … Continue Reading
Who knew—but yes, next week is Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week. How sad is it that we have to have a week devoted to education and awareness on this topic? It’s tax season (“busy season” as my CPA friends call it), and prime time for identity thieves to reap millions in fake and fraudulent tax … Continue Reading
WhatsApp has been applauded for adding end-to-end encryption on its platform to secure conversations of its users two years ago. But encryption has its challenges, despite its security posture. Recently, a team of German cryptographers found flaws in WhatsApp that they say makes it easier for unauthorized individuals to access group chats. They also found … Continue Reading
We all learned the hard way how important patching vulnerabilities are when a major data breach occurred during 2017 that exposed the personal information of 80% of U.S. adults that was reportedly avoidable with a patch. The biggest news in 2018 about patching is that to respond to the Spectre and Meltdown flaws [view related … Continue Reading
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning to parents in the past about the concerns with connected toys. Many parents recently bought the newest gadgets for their kids over the holidays, without realizing the capabilities of these toys to collect, maintain, sell and use personal information. As I chat with people about the … Continue Reading
