Perspective

Howdy, again, folks.

Watching the headlines has been most discouraging. Why? Well, think big picture, and consider just these two:

* Until Superfish fix, Lenovo devices can’t be trusted for secure work

“Enterprise customers are not said to be affected, but millions of consumers and bring-your-own-device users are likely using compromised machines.” Read more..

[Frankly, the moment IBM sold their PC division to China (and renamed it “Lenovo”) was the moment I stopped using them. Too bad, too, as ThinkPads were the best.]

And.. * Cyberciminals Target Bank Employees, Steal $1 Billion From Financial Institutions Worldwide

“‘Carbanak’ includes operatives from Russia, Ukraine, China, and other parts of Europe.” Read more..

Yes.. that’s a “b” — billion

And maybe this third, also .. * Destroying your hard drive is the only way to stop this super-advanced malware

“A cyberespionage group with a toolset similar to ones used by U.S. intelligence agencies has infiltrated key institutions in countries including Iran and Russia, utilizing a startlingly advanced form of malware that is impossible to remove once it’s infected your PC.” Read more..

I mean.. this is just what they admit to.

My ‘joke’ of “If you knew what I know about technology.. you wouldn’t use it” isn’t funny anymore.

Today’s quote: “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Most Important News of the Year?

Of course no one will notice, or take alarm… or change what they do in any way… but since practically everything’s built in China, maybe we’d better.

* China sets new regulations for foreign tech companies

“The Chinese government has introduced new rules that require foreign tech companies to turn over source code, submit to audits, and build back doors into hardware and software.” Read more..

Turn over source code… back doors…
Hello?
Anyone see a problem here?

Today’s quote: ““Never explain―your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

SB #184 and a Reading Reco

Two items for you today, Dear Reader.

First up, an interesting image.

Click on image to see more by this artist (reco’d)

“One-eyed Jacks Wild” by Dawn Huczek, courtesy of Flickr Commons.

Today’s reading reco: Bluster, bravado and breaches: Today’s ‘terrorist’ players in cybersecurity

“An emailed threat can send companies to their knees and propel individuals without so much as a parking ticket straight to a holding cell. The problem is, today’s puffed-up chest hacktivists know it, and Sony has borne the brunt.” [Analysis] Read more..

*     *     *

Today’s Blast from the Past:

*     *     *

Today’s quote: “People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear, and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action.” ~ Steve Maraboli

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Awareness is key

Why is it that the truly important news items are buried to page 6? (hint: “consumer confidence”)

Consider this buried item: A $10 USB charger with built-in wireless keylogger means more security headaches

“Think that keeping hackers out of your digital fortress is already hard work, or that that BYOD is a security timebomb waiting to blow up in your face? Well, here’s something new for you to worry about – a $10 USB charger that features a built-in wireless keylogger.” Read more..

I mean.. really think about that.

Kinda changes the meaning behind “built in China”, doesn’t it? (But, you should have known that if you noticed the “infected digital picture frames” stories from a few years back.)

Today’s quote: “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

10 top security threats of 2014

Folks, this really is a ‘must read’, even if you are not a techy.

* 10 top security threats of 2014 (so far)

“One email spiked with innocuous-looking malware to a vendor cost Target an estimated 40 million credit cards and 70 million user accounts at the crest of 2014, beginning a year which made our own employees, coworkers, friends and family one of the biggest security threats of the year…

Non-technical people were 2014’s favorite targets for malicious hackers, from data dealing crime rings to targeted corporate espionage attacks...

F-Secure’s Mobile Threat Report Q1 2014 was a bucket of cold water in terms of just how pervasive attacks on typical users are, and how they can spread through apps into businesses.” Read more (please) …

I hadn’t heard the term “the snappening”.. had you? (And I would move her #4 to #1.)

Today’s quote: “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” ~ Jim Rohn

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Tuesday Tidbits for the end of August

A few items for your consideration:

First up: after a bit of a quiet spell, Rick Robinette has been posting actively on his (Tech Paul Recommended) site, What’s On My PC.. and I suggest looking at all his latest; but what I focused in on (and prompted me to bring special attention to) was his recent posts on music services and players – all three of which I had not heard of.

* Google Chrome MP3 Player App – Trifling Trivial Worthless Rubbishy Player (TTWR player)

Once I get stuck on something, I am on it until I’ve exhausted it or I’m exhausted (which ever comes first). For some odd reason, I have been on a MP3 music kick; especially being focused on web based converters and web based players. Today I happened across a Google Chrome App, called Trifling Trivial […]” Read more..

* Youtify – A Minimalistic Web Music Player

“A recent post, I featured an online (cloud based) music player, called YouZeek, that streams music from YouTube. After posting this article, I started looking around to see if there were any other online YouTube music players and came across Youtify.” Read more..

* Create Online Music Playlists And Share Them With Your Friends (Without Breaking Any Laws???)

“Create Online Music Playlists And Share Them With Your Friends (Without Breaking Any Laws???)… That is what YOUZEEK is claiming on their “About” page…” Read more..

Other items:
* New variants of POS malware ‘Backoff’ found as infections expand
* PlayStation Network downed by DDoS attack, other gaming networks hit too
* AdThief malware infects 75K iOS devices, steals revenue
and last but not least: * Duo Security researchers discuss “The Internet of Fails” at DefCon 22

Really.. you should watch that.. even if it has Geekspeak (and not-polite words)(for giggles, count them).

Today’s quote: “What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult.” ~ Sigmund Freud

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Net Nuetrality, and other tidbits

Feels like Monday…

* The FCC’s Net neutrality plan is much worse than it looks

“Under the new proposal, ISPs will be slower to upgrade their networks and will find it easier to exploit customers on both ends.” Read more..

I hope you’re not surprised… * China accuses Cisco of supporting US cyberwar efforts

“China is attacking secret surveillance programs of the U.S. government with harsh words from its state-controlled press, accusing Cisco of helping the U.S. in cyber espionage.” Read more..

* IE8 zero-day vulnerability unpatched for months, possibly millions at risk

“An unpatched zero-day use-after-free remote code execution vulnerability affecting Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) was publicly disclosed on Wednesday by the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) because it has been more than six months since the flaw was initially reported and Microsoft has yet to issue a fix.” Read more..

[Please understand, one shouldn’t get too sore at MS for this, as a better question is, “why is someone using an obsolete version?”] (Some might argue a better question is, “why is someone using Internet Explorer at all?)

Follow up: The eBay data compromise: What you need to know

“eBay has joined the elite list of companies that have lost members’ personal information. Learn how that affects you personally.” Read more..

Bah. That’s enough for today.

Today’s quotable quote: “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” ~ Jim Rohn

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)