On August 5th the New York Times announced the largest known theft of online login credentials. A group of Russian cyber criminals has amassed stolen usernames and passwords from over 1.2 billion accounts and 524 million email addresses. The data was uncovered in an 18-month investigation by a Milwaukee-based company called Hold Security. According to… Read More »
Homeland Security Warns of Retail Malware Threat
As banks and financial institutions have become harder to break into, cyber criminals have increasingly turned to targeting retail operations. According to an advisory issued last week by the DHS, the malware family known as Backoff has been identified in three forensic investigations of large-scale Point-of-Sale (POS) data breaches. The malware reads credit and debit… Read More »
Top 4 Security Drawbacks of BYOD
BYOD Security Concerns Many organizations have allowed or encouraged employees to use their own smartphones and tablets on the job. The process is called bring your own device, or BYOD. It’s popular with workers and saves the employer money on equipment costs. However, BYOD has drawbacks that concern security experts. Last week the Information Security… Read More »
Wiping Your Old Android Device Isn’t Enough
The average user’s upgrade cycle for smartphones and tablets is around two years. If the old device is still in good shape once the user upgrades, individual users and small businesses usually sell it or pass it along to someone else. Big companies send obsolete devices to companies that specialize in recycling end-of-life electronics.… Read More »
TSA Bars Dead Electronics from Certain Incoming International Flights
On July 6th the United States Transportation Safety Administration announced passengers flying into the U.S. from Europe and the Middle East will soon have to power on their cell phones and other electronic devices. If the device will not power on, it won’t be allowed on the plane. The TSA has required international passengers to… Read More »
7 Simple Ways Business Owners Can Protect Routers From Malware
Routers are basically very specialized computers, and unfortunately they can get malware too. Routers are susceptible to altered firmware installed by hackers and software worms that replicate directly through the network. A compromised router can allow hackers to steal data and gain access to other devices on the network, so it’s important to keep your… Read More »
4 Simple Ways to Keep Your Business Secrets Safe
Governments have been using cyber espionage to spy on one another almost as long as the Internet has been around. Likewise, cyber crime is nothing new. Until relatively recently, the two were distinct. Governments stole military secrets from other governments, and criminals stole money from banks and private enterprises. Now the two have come together.… Read More »
Protecting Your Bitcoin Wallet from Virtual Pickpockets
Bitcoin is a form of worldwide electronic currency not tied to a specific country. This makes it a popular form of international trade, especially in countries where the local currency has little value. In November 2013, Bitcoins hit an all-time high of $1,124.76 US dollars. While the exchange rate has fallen in the last… Read More »
