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Articles from Robert Siciliano | Selfgrowth.com
- How to freeze your Child's Credit - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2016 from Robert SicilianoIdentity thieves are after children’s Social Security numbers. With this number, a thief can do so many things like open a credit card account and rent an apartment. Kids’ SSNs have great appeal to crooks because: A child’s record is usually very clean. This means fertile ...
Views: 886 - The Growing Demand for Cybersecurity Professionals - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoCybersecurity professionals are always in demand[i]. Threats to intellectual property and sensitive data constantly evolve with technology, which means a security professional’s job is never done. There’s always another security problem to solve. Consider the recent proliferation ...
Views: 886 - How to Delete Yourself from Social Media - by Submitted on Jul 05, 2017 from Robert SicilianoHave you been thinking that it’s time to make the drastic choice to remove yourself from social media? Most of us were quick to join the social media bandwagon, but these days, you might have worries about privacy. Though it’s possible to delete yourself from social media, the ...
Views: 884 - What kind of Home Security System is right for Me - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2015 from Robert SicilianoBurglars don’t usually depend upon the light of the moon to break into homes; they depend on the daylight—because that’s when they know most homes are empty! The kids are in school, the adults are at jobs or shopping…duhhh, even a halfwit burglar knows this is an ...
Views: 884 - What Was Scary About Blackhat 2017? - by Submitted on Aug 02, 2017 from Robert SicilianoAs you might know, at the end of July, all types of hackers came to Las Vegas to attend Blackhat 2017. During the conference, some pretty scary hacks were exposed, and we can all take this as a lesson on what we are up against in this technology-heavy world. Here are some of the scariest hacks ...
Views: 882 - 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: 881 - Passwords in Real Life: Don't be Lazy - by Submitted on Aug 07, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIt’s tough being responsible sometimes. And managing responsibilities for what is precious in your life usually takes a little extra thought. Let’s say you’ve just welcomed a beautiful set of triplets into the world. Lucky you . . . and lots to managed! But, you ...
Views: 881 - Hackers for Hire both Good and Bad - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2015 from Robert SicilianoEver see those public bulletin boards with all the business cards on them? Don’t be surprised if you spot one that says “Hacker•for•Hire.” These are hackers who will, for a nice juicy fee, hack into your wife’s Facebook account to see if she’s cheating on ...
Views: 880 - How to Prevent your Devices From Spying on You - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2020 from Robert SicilianoYou might not realize it, but your electronic devices may be tracking you. They know what you are doing, what you are reading, and the things you like to do. In almost every case, you give these devices permission to collect this info when you start using them. Here are some tips to help you ...
Views: 880 - The Security Costs of being too Social - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2015 from Robert SicilianoOne of the arguments against being very virtually social is that nobody is SO important that everyone wants to know, for instance, that this person is going to be at the local sports bar watching the Super Bowl (or almost nobody; sad to say, some celebrities have half the world following ...
Views: 880 - It's Tax Time: Play it Safe or Lose Your Identity - by Submitted on Mar 12, 2020 from Robert SicilianoOnce again, tax time has rolled around, and though you technically have until April 15th, it’s always best to file a bit earlier…especially if you want to avoid setting yourself up for ID theft. How Could Filing Taxes Compromise Your Identity? Here’s how you could become a ...
Views: 879 - Predators use Emojis to target Kids - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2016 from Robert SicilianoWho’d ever think those silly little yellow circular faces and other such cyber symbols would become such a worldwide smash? I’m talking about emoticons, also known as emojis. Five years ago Apple put an emoji keyboard on its mobile devices. Six billion of these doggone things are ...
Views: 879 - 10 Surefire Staff Security Awareness Techniques - by Submitted on Jan 18, 2018 from Robert SicilianoThink about how great this would be: Imagine that all of your company data is safe from hackers. Your hardware is totally safe and secure. You have IT specialists at your disposal at all times and have a constant flow of cash to pay them. Unfortunately, this is a fantasy for most of us. No ...
Views: 878 - Protect Your Mobile from Hackers - by Submitted on Jul 19, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIf you are like most of us, you probably have a password, antivirus program, and a firewall for your home computer to protect it from hackers. Are you doing the same thing for your phone? From 2015 to 2016 malware infections on smartphones swelled by 96%, and about 71% of the smartphones out ...
Views: 877 - This is what Passport Security looks like - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2015 from Robert SicilianoSixty different materials go into the printing of a U.S. passport. That little booklet of a thing contains up to 30 pieces of security—and you can’t see most of them. And good luck trying to get details on these security features. The author of an article on gizmodo.com points out ...
Views: 877 - 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: 876 - 10 Ways to Protect your WordPress Site or Blog from Hackers - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2016 from Robert SicilianoAs much as you try, the unfortunate truth is that hackers are going to try to attack and access your WordPress website or blog, whether you like it or not. So, it is up to you to make sure you make the hacker’s job as difficult as possible. Here are some tips: 1. Use Plugins One way to ...
Views: 875 - Disinformation i.e. FAKE NEWS: How the Weaponization of Social Media Has You Conned - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2019 from Robert SicilianoThis post takes a hard and honest look at whats happening right now. You either “get it” or you are a victim of whats going on. Victims who read this will trash it and deny the reality of what they read. Denial is warm and comfortable. The truth is cold and can hurt. And nobody likes ...
Views: 875 - Identity Fraud Victim every two Seconds - by Submitted on Jun 04, 2015 from Robert SicilianoYes, identity fraud is SO common that someone becomes a victim every two seconds. The 2014 Identity Fraud Study, as reported on javelinstrategy.com, turned up some alarming results. Though the dollar amount stolen had decreased over the year preceding the study, the number of victims had ...
Views: 875 - 10 Huge Home Security Mistakes - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2018 from Robert SicilianoThough it would be nice to think that you can fix something if you make a mistake, there are some where there is just no going back. And in some cases, these mistakes can be tragic. Here are some of the biggest mistakes that people make with their home security: Leaving Doors Unlocked ...
Views: 873 - Top 12 Tips to Destroy Your Sensitive Data - by Submitted on May 18, 2017 from Robert SicilianoBelieve it or not, you just can’t shred too much. If you aren’t destroying your sensitive data, my best advice is for you to start now. There are people out there who make a living diving into dumpsters in search of credit card info, bank account number, mortgage statements, and ...
Views: 873 - Dept. of Homeland Security Computers Vulnerable - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThere’s a problem on the home front: security lapses in the computers of the Secret Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says a report on townhall.com. These departments were recently audited, and weaknesses were revealed. Recently, hackers got into the White House, State ...
Views: 872 - Most Locks are stupid easy to pick - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2016 from Robert SicilianoI hate to say this, but…any dummy can learn to pick a lock. This means that the locks on your house’s doors are probably very “pickable” unless you have a top-flight lock system—which few homes actually have. An article on lifehacker.com describes how easy it ...
Views: 872 - Protect your small business against viruses with these tips - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIt is September and it’s National Preparedness Month—a great time to get involved in the safety of your community. Make plans to stay safe, and this includes maintaining ongoing communications. National Preparedness Month culminates September 30th with National PrepareAthon! ...
Views: 872 - Are You Part of the 70 Percent Who Are Clueless About Identity Theft? - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2016 from Robert SicilianoYou’d think with all the media attention regarding data breaches, hackers and identity theft, that consumers would be more focused on their privacy and how to protect their information from prying eyes. Surprisingly, almost 70% of the people are clueless about how a criminal might have got ...
Views: 871 - LinkedIn targeted by Scammers - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2015 from Robert SicilianoLinkedIn is a free service that allows professional people to network with each other. Often, a LinkedIn member will receive an e-mail from another LinkedIn member “inviting” them to join their network. Sometimes, the inviter is someone the recipient doesn’t know, but the ...
Views: 871 - The most horrible Craigslist Killing ever - by Submitted on May 21, 2015 from Robert SicilianoBeware. This is tough to read. An expectant woman had spotted an ad on Craigslist asking for baby clothes, so she contacted the ad placer—a woman—then went to her Longmont, Colorado house alone. The woman stabbed the would-be seller and removed the seven-month-old fetus. The baby ...
Views: 871 - Hackers don't play well with Kids' Toys - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2016 from Robert SicilianoNo company is immune from hackers—even a toy company. Hong Kong based VTech got hit by a hacker recently. This company makes techy educational toys for kids, and its database got breached. Customers go to the Learning Lodge store and download content to their children’s VTech ...
Views: 870 - Ins and Outs of Call Center Security - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2015 from Robert SicilianoCompanies that want to employ at-home workers for their call centers to save money and reduce the hassles of office space have to look at security considerations. In addition to thorough vetting of the agents and their equipment, organizations also need to ensure that the security is top-notch. ...
Views: 870 - State sponsored Attacks big Problem - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe U.S. Office of Personnel Management, an identity database, was attacked by hackers rather recently, and they hit the jackpot: More than 21 million federal workers are at risk of identity theft for perhaps the rest of their lives, reports an article on forbes.com. The hackers from overseas ...
Views: 869 - Tax Return Basics: What You must know! - by Submitted on May 16, 2015 from Robert SicilianoTax ID Theft Three things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes and tax-related identity theft. Michael Kasper would agree. Someone registered Kasper’s IRS.gov account, requested the document for his 2013 tax return, then filed a 2014 tax return. The crook used a middleman—an ...
Views: 869 - Facebook Photos bust Bank Robber - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2015 from Robert SicilianoDo these bank robbers have bricks for brains? They actually posted photos of themselves with wads of the stolen cash on Facebook, says a story on thesmokinggun.com. The alleged bank robers are John Mogan, 28 and Ashley Duboe, 24, and they’ve been charged with robbing a bank in Ohio. ...
Views: 868 - Want Mobile Privacy? Read - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2015 from Robert SicilianoIf you don’t want your smartphone to know more about you than you do, here are top choices, as detailed on gizmodo.com: BlackPhone 2 The Blackphone 2 will black out the federal government from spying on you. Has a five inch handset with full HD screen (with Gorilla Glass 3 that ...
Views: 868 - Fake News is Becoming Too Real - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2017 from Robert SicilianoFake news is a problem that is taking the internet by storm, and it ran rampant during the 2016 Presidential Election. In fact, many believe that fake news stories had a strong impact on the outcome of the election. In a survey following the election by the Pew Research Center, a whopping 64 ...
Views: 867 - How to protect your Mobile Phone from Hackers and Thieves - by Submitted on Sep 01, 2016 from Robert SicilianoLet’s cut to the chase: Regularly back up the phone’s data! If this is done every day, you won’t have to worry much about losing important information if something happens to the phone—such as a ransomware attack. Keep the phone’s software and applications ...
Views: 866 - Self-Monitored Security System Market heating up - by Submitted on Oct 09, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe Angee home security system is the only one with a video camera that rotates 360 degrees as it detects motion. And this high definition camera has smart zones; you can set up specific zones for monitoring. But Angee is more than just a video surveillance setup. It’s a self-monitored ...
Views: 866 - Time to check your Facebook Privacy settings - by Submitted on May 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoDid you know that, once again, Facebook has changed its privacy policies? At the top of the FB page is a lock icon. Click it for more privacy settings. What do visitors see? To view how visitors see your Facebook page, go to “Timeline and Tagging,” then hit “Review what ...
Views: 866 - How much is your Data worth online? - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2016 from Robert SicilianoCyber crime sure does pay, according to a report at Intel Security blogs.mcafee.com. There’s a boom in cyber stores that specialize in selling stolen data. In fact, this is getting so big that different kinds of hot data are being packaged—kind of like going to the supermarket and ...
Views: 865 - How to build up or rebuild your Credit - by Submitted on Feb 11, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAfter taking all the necessary steps to Fixing a Credit Report after being hacked, it is then tome to rebuild your credit. Bad credit is bad credit no matter how it happens. No matter how responsible you are with your money, you won’t get a loan if there’s no evidence of this. The ...
Views: 865 - Getting attacked by a Police Dog - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2015 from Robert SicilianoHave you ever seen men getting “attacked” by a police or military dog as part of the dog’s training? The men (I’ve never seen a woman, but I’d like to think there are some strong, feisty women who suit up for this role) wear either just a big padded thing on one of ...
Views: 864 - Using a knife for survival - by Submitted on Sep 24, 2015 from Robert SicilianoAn article at indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com informs on how to use a knife safely and efficiently for survival. Safety For outdoors, carry a fixed-blade knife, as this is less likely to break. The knife should always stay in its sheath. Otherwise, you could stumble and fall into it, slicing ...
Views: 864 - 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: 863 - Covid-19 Remote Desktop Has Significant Risks - by Submitted on Mar 24, 2020 from Robert SicilianoAre you newly working from home? Or are you an old pro? Either way, it is likely you are using some form of remote desktop protocol. Those of us who have been working home as our primary means of earning a living, know these tools very well and are accustomed to eliminating the various ...
Views: 863 - Why Hacking is a National Emergency - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2015 from Robert SicilianoForeign hackers, look out: Uncle Sam is out to get you. President Obama has issued an order that allows the State Department and Treasury Departments to immobilize the financial assets of anyone out-of country suspected of committing or otherwise being involved in cyber crimes against the ...
Views: 863 - Survive Falling Through Ice - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2017 from Robert SicilianoIt can be truly terrifying to fall through ice on a frozen lake, but if you remain calm, it can save your life. Most people don’t realize that you have more time than you think, according to experts. This is due to the concept of thermoregulation and how your body deals with the shocking ...
Views: 862 - How to secure your Apartment - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2016 from Robert SicilianoI love that show, “Forensic Files.” Every so often there’s the case of a person who was found murdered in their apartment due to some forced entry. Which brings me to the topic of apartment security. New Apartment Don’t delay in doing a walk-through of the entire ...
Views: 861 - Secure your home for the holidays - by Submitted on Dec 14, 2015 from Robert SicilianoThe holiday season is ramping up. And so are burglars. Even if you don’t get very festive, burglars may still target your home. Your dark, unlit home among all the dazzling festive homes will stick out like a sore thumb. Whether you have 10,000 decorative lights on or none, here’s ...
Views: 861 - Seniors big Target for Romance Scams - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2015 from Robert SicilianoJanet N. Cook, 76, was duped by a dashing younger man. A report at nytimes.com explains that in July 2011 she connected with Kelvin Wells via a dating site. Next thing, this seemingly-together man was in trouble and needed lots of money. Cook got burned; she sent the crook nearly $300,000 ...
Views: 861 - Small Town investigates String of Burglaries - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2015 from Robert SicilianoHome burglaries don’t just happen in the big cities that everyone’s heard of. They can also occur in small towns—simply because the burglar lives in them or in neighboring areas. Such is the case with Kirksville, Missouri. A recent report from heartlandconnection.com tells of ...
Views: 860 - Another Successful Ransomware Attack - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2016 from Robert SicilianoRansomware thieves sure know how to pick their victims—institutions that store loads of highly critical data that they need on a daily basis, that without—even just 24 hours without—can have crippling effects. This form of cybercrime is growing by leaps and bounds. Recently ...
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