Just one reason I walked away..

One of today’s delightful headlines.. Rather ordinary, sadly.

* Unsecured server exposes 4 billion records, 1.2 billion people

“Two security researchers have uncovered four billion records on 1.2 billion people on an unsecured Elasticsearch server impacting what is estimated to be hundreds of millions of people.” Read more..

Yes. That’s “billion”. 1,200,000,000

By the time the masses wake up, it’s always far, far too late.

Copyright 2007-2019 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

---

>> 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.

If you are, or ever were, a Yahoo user, read this

Please note the date. And also please note, many of your ISP’s use Yahoo as their ‘engine’/email provider.. such as SBC/AT&T.

* Data on 1B Yahoo users stolen in second breach

“Data on one billion Yahoo users was likely stolen by an unauthorized third party in a data breach that occurred in August 2013, the company said in a Wednesday press release that also noted the breach is “likely distinct” from a breach previously disclosed in September.” Read more..

RELATED: How to delete or protect your Yahoo account

“It’s time to seriously consider deleting your Yahoo account. Can’t? OK, here’s what you can do to protect it.” Read more..

* * *

I almost titled this article “Yahoo! Scores More Points”.. But didn’t as I don’t want people zeroing in their concern on Yahoo! This kind of thing happens all over the place, to most every company/organization sooner or later — because we’re using quite insecure technologies. You pretty much have to presume your ‘identity’ is already stolen. And you have to be darned reluctant (unwilling, as much as you able) to provide accurate information to any entity.

… it just keeps getting better and better ..

One billion people in a single hack.

Yahoo: Your Personal Info Stolen

If you use Yahoo! mail (or your ISP uses Yahoo Mail) you need to read this news item.

* Yahoo breach; at least 500 million accounts affected

“According to a company statement, stolen information may have included names, email address telephone numbers, birth dates, hashed passwords and, in some instances, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.” Read more..

[ I think it’s safe to mentally remove the “may have” from that.. ]

Please forward this on to your friends and loved ones who use Yahoo! Mail. Tell ’em they need to change their passwords, and beware of suspicious “phishing” emails that sound like they know you..

And if you don’t know what “phishing” is by now.. please stop using the Internet.

Today’s quote: “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” ~ Winston Churchill

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

---

>> 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.

Today it’s Apple Mac – Owner’s Alert

Folks, last week I alerted iPhone owners the need to ‘upgrade’. Turns out, it’s all Apple products need to do it.

* Update your Mac OS X — Apple has released Important Security Updates

“If you own a Mac laptop or desktop, you need to update your system right now. It turns out that the critical zero-day security vulnerabilities disclosed last week, which targeted iPhone and iPad users, affect Mac users as well.” Read more..

Pass the word on to your Apple-owning friends and family.

More cheery news:

* Hey, Music Lovers! Last.Fm Hack Leaks 43 Million Account Passwords

“Another Day, Another Data Breach! If you love to listen to music online and have an account on Last.fm website, your account details may have compromised in a data breach that leaked more than 43 Million user personal data online.” Read more..

[ The first line of that ‘blurb’ is why I no longer post everyday. And it’s why one should change all their online login passwords several times a year {but who does that?}. ]

*     *     *

Today’s quote: “Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you.” ~ John Wooden

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

---

>> 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.

Sunday Items

Folks, a few things worthy of your attention:

* Data Breach Day — Patreon (2.3M), T-Mobile (15M) and Scottrade (4.6M) — HACKED!

“This week, three high-profile data breaches took place, compromising personal and sensitive details of millions of people. Telecommunication giant T-Mobile Crowdfunding website Patreon US brokerage firm Scottrade In T-Mobile’s case, its credit application processor Experian was hacked, potentially exposing highly sensitive details of 15 Million people who applied for its service in the …” Read more..

Related: How to Freeze Credit Report To Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft

“If your Social Security number gets hacked in any data breaches, including recently hacked T-Mobile, then there’s a way to prevent hackers from misusing your identity (i.e. identity theft). The solution here is that you can institute a security freeze at each of the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. Once frozen, nobody will be allowed to access your credit report, ... ” Read more..

Today’s Interesting Image (SB #208):

Click on image to see more by this artist

“Ellis clan” by Homini:), courtesy of Flickr Commons.

Today’s quotable quote: “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” ~ Zig Ziglar

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

---

>> 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 so it goes.

Loyal readers won’t be surprised by this latest “breach” headline..

* Premera Blue Cross hit by “sophisticated” hack, 11M affected

“The multi-state health insurance company was attacked in January and is working with the FBI to determine the cause of the breach.” Read more..

and I think it’s time to conclude that if your “personally identifying information” is in anyone’s database (and you should know, it is in several [at a minimum]) it will fall into a badguy’s hands, and your identity will be stolen, if it hasn’t been already. (Seems it’s no longer a question of “if”..) Because it sure looks to me like databases and/or their networks cannot be secured.

So I urge all my readers to sign up for a credit monitoring service; to make it part of your routine to keep a careful eye on your bank, and credit card statements, and look for any signs of unauthorized activity.

And no. Don’t turn on your smartphone’s payment feature. Ever. Regardless how ‘convenient’ it might seem on that asinine TV commercial. (You may want to join me in wrapping your credit cards in tinfoil too. See Digital pickpockets using smartphones to steal credit cards)

Just my two cents.

(Better, pay off, and then cut up every credit card but a single FEO one [for emergency use only].)

Today’s quote: “A mathematical formula for happiness: Reality divided by Expectations.There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations.” ~ Jodi Picoult

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

---

>> 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.

Happy Halloween

Folks,

I understand that Mother Nature is going to dampen the festivities for some of you, but I would like to wish you all the best possible Halloween, well, um.. possible!

I do hope you all have a fun (and safe) time Trick Or Treating tonight, and your costume wins First Prize.

And please allow me to remind you not to eat too much of your loot at once, or you might feel like this guy..

Happy Halloween!

Today’s reading reco: Zero Day Weekly: CurrentC hacked, White House breached, APT28 exposed, Verizon shamed

“A collection of notable security news items for the week ending October 31, 2014. Covers enterprise, controversies, reports and more.” Read more..

Today’s Fun Video (Reader submitted): The fine folks at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory demonstrate why they are the best ever by showcasing their mad pumpkin carving skills.

Today’s quote: “Fortune favours the bold.” ~ Virgil

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

---

>> 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.