You just gotta love it…

* Loss from cybercrime exceeded $1.3B in 2016, FBI report

“The financial loss from cybercrime in the U.S. exceeded $1.3 billion in 2016, a rise of 24 percent, according to a new report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).” Read more..

And remember gang –> that’s ONLY what was reported to the FBI. Think “tip of the iceberg”. (And, only USA losses.. How much global?)

* Google Gets Record-Breaking $2.7 Billion Fine for Manipulating Search Results

“Google has just lost its biggest regulatory battle! Google has been hit with a record-breaking $2.7 billion (€2.42 billion) fine by the European antitrust officials for unfairly manipulating search results since 2008. After a lengthy seven-year investigation that was launched in 2010..” Read more..

.. “since 2008” .. HA! Try, “since Google”. And don’t think Google’s going to pay that fine — the advertisers are. Be smart. Bail out now people.

* Judy Android malware unleashes massive attack on Google Play Store (NOTE! it wasn’t an ‘attack’.. the criminal hackers ‘poisoned’ the site with infected apps.)

“When it comes to apps for mobile devices, InfoSec experts will always recommend downloading from official vendors like the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. While these sites are much more stringent in their standards for malicious app prevention, there are always exceptions (which require the consumer to use common sense).” Read more..

OMG. Too funny. “require people use common sense” ..!

Sad part is.. that ‘attack’ netted tons of cash with automated click fraud (do you advertise? Look up the term ‘click fraud’ NOW!)

ALERT: New Petya ransomware variant attacking computers worldwide

“Following the high profile WannaCry attack merely a month ago, we have detected another ransomware outbreak that is spreading rapidly across the globe. It appears to be a new variant of the known Petya ransomware, also known as Petna, and it has already affected many high profile companies and government institutions across Europe and currently shows no sign of slowing down.” Read more..

And: Six quick facts to know about today’s global ransomware attack

“This is what you need to know — right now.” Read more..

* * *

* And you better believe — my ‘page views’ will take yet another hit for posting this.

Today’s quote: “In view of the fact that God limited the intelligence of man, it seems unfair that He did not also limit his stupidity.” ~ Konrad Adenauer

Copyright 2007-2017 © “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.

It’s about time!!!

Talk about waking up to danger years after the war is already lost..

* US declares cybercrime a ‘national emergency’, threatens sanctions against hackers, online espionage

“Sanctions will hit cyber criminals where it hurts – in the pocket – says the White House.” Read more..

But.. better late than never.. right?

Wonder how/if that’ll affect relations with China.. or, since they own us, and manufacture all our goods, they’ll get a pass? (Since we know they’re major actors.)

(Sounds good, but good luck with that.)

Kinda related: No free pass for Google

• San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr 2015

“Google’s vaunted “Do no evil’’ credo is taking a beating. Leaked documents show that Federal Trade Commission investigators wanted to sue the search giant on antitrust charges, but the push melted away into modest changes after Google executives made numerous trips to the White House.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone.
Kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in your own.” ~ Adam Lindsay Gordon

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.

Tips for Safe Online Job Hunting

Recent events have made me decide to repost an important prior article.

A reader wrote in with a simply terrific question, asking about our modern way of finding employment. I think the answers are important.

Q: “Paul:

I was laid off earlier this summer and have been looking for new employment since day one of my termination. The method for job search is now the Internet. You no longer can knock on doors and submit resumes and fill out application in person.
My question to you is, I have filled out numerous applications online and a number of companies ask for the last 4 digits of your social security number, and some will ask also ask for your month and day but not year of your birth.
I can understand if they are asking for a cell number, and some other standard information.
How can you tell if these are legitimate job sites or persons who are looking for quick score of your personnel information?

I have run into a few sites that offer jobs that seem to good to be true, once you contact them, they ask for up front money. A legitimate job site will not ask for any money. If they get paid it is from the employer.

Thanks for all you great information and keep up the good work,“

A: I would like to applaud your awareness. Identity Thieves (and other scammers) are not only posting phony job listings, but whole websites. They are taking advantage of our desire (desperation?) and the supplicant nature of the job seeker.

• Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America.
• Depending where you look, the stats say someone’s ‘identity’ is being stolen every second, or once every three seconds. (Either one. Where’s the outrage?)
• This isn’t something that “happens to other people”: cybercrime is big business, costing our economy over a hundred billion a year. That we know about.

I have written many articles on cybercrime, as well as ID Theft. I won’t repeat myself here (but encourage you to use my ‘keyword’ Search widget). I will focus in on the sentence I highlighted in bold — how can you tell if it’s a real job opportunity?

Well, the short version is: you can’t, always. There is no magic formula. You simply must apply a double dose of “paranoid common sense”. And apply a protective self-policy. Because, yes, you will have entered a predator’s favorite hunting ground.

These scammers will post positions on legitimate employment-seeking websites. And those sites will make an effort to find and remove the scam postings. Do they succeed? Yes. Allatime always 100%? Instantly? Don’t make me laugh. These crooks post new ones as fast as their old ones are taken down. Faster.
The online classified services simply aren’t as equipped to try to sift out the bogus, having neither the budget, staff, tools, or.. motivation. You should apply a triple dose of “paranoid common sense” in the classifieds.

(My questioner points out that some ask for month and day, but not year of D.O.B.. Why? Because your year is published in tons of places. The crooks will simply research, then add two and two… With the amount of info about us already posted online, the crooks don’t have to research too much, or gain too many tidbits, to pose as you.)

A protective self-policy – Cyber Safe Resume: Let me remind you of a few early postings. The second one directly relates to this subject..
Identity Thieves Want Your Resume
Cyber-safe Resume Gets Noticed
A Top Site for Finding Work

All are great supplements to this article, and if you are currently seeking employment, well worth your time (it helps they are short, ha!).

Here’s one more: Scams & Schemes in Work and Employment Services

Review the following websites for additional recommendations on how to proactively protect your identity:

• Identity Theft Resource Center: http://www.idtheftcenter.org
• The California Privacy Office: http://www.privacy.ca.gov/identity_theft.htm
• Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Site: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft
• Identity Theft Assistance Center: http://www.identitytheftassistance.org/pageview.php?cateid=19
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs17-it.htm
• Department of Justice: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html
• Social Security: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html

(You may also want to consider investing in an ID “protection service, such as, LifeLock.)

I know you want the job, and don’t want to do anything that will jeopardize your chances.. or get your application tossed before it’s even read, but in this world, today, you really have to leave the box blank, or put in “I will provide this to a real person, but not in this online form.” If you only click one link here today.. click this one: Cyber-safe Resume Gets Noticed.

Research the company using a search engine. Call them and ask them, when you have doubts and concerns. (And understand, the scammers will post phone #s, and answer them too. The con is not restricted to ‘online only’.)

I do wish you a speedy and successful job search. (And no, I don’t live under a rock. I know it is dang tough out there. But don’t add to your troubles by becoming an ID Theft victim.)

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.

Welcome to the New Cold War

Folks, this article not only should be read by everyone, but ‘forwarded’ to all your friends and family. The news is that big. This is definitely something to be aware of, and to pay attention to.

* U.S. charges Chinese military group with cyber espionage

“The U.S. made a rare move to pursue foreign government employees by charging five Chinese nationals with committing economic espionage against Westinghouse, Alcoa , the U.S. Steelworkers’ Union and other large U.S. companies and organizations, in a move that serves as a warning and a wakeup call for both state-sponsored hackers and the companies that they attack.” Read more..

This is a monumental change. It has been patently obvious – to those who pay attention to such things – that for years China has not been “playing nice” (some would say, has been waging cyber war, if not mere cyber espionage/theft), but that they’ve enjoyed a kind of tacit immunity, because they own all our money, and build all our devices.. and we (think we) want access to that vast market.

Why is this so important? “It’s possible this could cause a Virtual Cold War between the world’s biggest economies, with wide-ranging impact on the entire planet.”

Again, read the article, here.

Maybe… we’ll have to start making our own stuff again…

A wee bit of good news: Historic global cyber crime bust takes down ‘BlackShades’ users

“An FBI-led investigation involving law enforcement agencies in 17 countries has led to one of the biggest cyber crime busts in recent history.” Read more..

Yes. History is being made …

Today’s quote: “The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch.” ~ Jim Rohn

Copyright 2007-2014 © “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.
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.)

The Most Important News You Didn’t Read About

Folks, this started happening in 2009, and you won’t know it unless you read certain InfoSec (ultra Geeky) blogs – today. 

Wonder what else of National Security Threat Level Red they’re not telling us? (Can’t p.o. the Chinese, man. They own our money (cuz we by cheap plastic crap from the Dollar Store/Wal Mart/etc.).)

* Chinese Hackers Steal Info from top secret U.S military data

“QinetiQ, a UK-based defense contractor suffers humiliation as intelligence officials confirmed that China was able to steal the U.S. classified documents and pertinent technological information all this because of QinetiQ’s faulty decision-making. QinetiQ North America (QQ) a world leading defense technology and security company providing satellites, drones and software services to the U.S …” Read more..

And for a more detailed report: Hackers Turned Defense Contractor QinetiQ Into Intelligence Playground For three years, digital thieves linked to China stole intellectual property and defense information from the U.K.-based firm.

“For more than three years, hackers linked to China thoroughly compromised U.K.-based QinetiQ, a firm that bills itself as “a world leading defense technology and security company,” to steal intellectual property and sensitive defense information, according to reports of the incident.” Read more..

I put two up there ‘cuz this is.. kinda huge. (Make no mistake: these “hackers” are a unit in the PLA.)

Can’t say nothing ’bout that Internet-thingy that might shake consumer confidence, either. A handful of folks (like, 15 – two dozen) are making too much money.

So forget I mentioned it. But remember, not everyone in the “world wide” plays nice.

Related: The Cyber-Dam Breaks: Sensitive Army database of U.S. dams compromised; Chinese hackers suspected

“The compromise of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Inventory of Dams (NID) is raising new concerns that China is preparing to conduct a future cyber attack against the national electrical power grid, including the growing percentage of electricity produced by hydroelectric dams.” Read more..

Unrelated: Beware of fake Facebook security page phishing scam

“Trend Micro has spotted a malware sample, TSPY_MINOCDO.A, which targets Facebook users. The malware redirects users to a spoofed page of the social network and claims to be part of the site security check feature, even showing the tagline “Security checks help keep Facebook trustworthy and free of spam”. Users eager to log into Facebook may fall victim to this ruse.” Read more...

Can’t say I didn’t warn ‘ya.

Today’s quote: “When Mozart was composing at the end of the eighteenth century, the city of Vienna was so quiet that fire alarms could be given verbally, by a shouting watchman mounted on top of St. Stefan’s Cathedral. In twentieth-century society, the noise level is such that it keeps knocking our bodies out of tune and out of their natural rhythms. This ever-increasing assault of sound upon our ears, minds, and bodies adds to the stress load of civilized beings trying to live in a highly complex environment.” ~ Steven Halpern

Copyright 2007-2013 © “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.

Top Cyber Monday Deals

So. It’s Cyber Monday, and instead of actually working, you want to know where the best deals are.

Here you go. (I’m going to jump on the 2TB Seagate, for one..)

Click on image to see the deals

But as you probably already know.. every single online shopping place has some kind of “super” deal on today… (Be sure to look at Amazon, if you haven’t yet.)

Tis the season of credit card debt, and cybercrime.

Copyright 2007-2012 © “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.

Friday Fun?

Before I do anything else today, I would like to recommend this read.

* CISPA: more heinous than SOPA, and it just passed

“There’s still time to take this bill down. Read, learn, and then let your Congress-Critters know that, once again, We The Internet will not stand for these assaults on our rights.” Read more..

Despite the outbreak of sunshine here, I have to confess that the reading I do – to keep my finger on the pulse of tech – has been quite discouraging. And that has been true for several years now. Just from what landed in my Inbox today, I could post two dozen articles that (I am pretty sure) would discourage you, too. Such as:

Thanks to weak passwords, Conficker worm still rampant

“Detection numbers continue to rise for the infamous Conficker worm within enterprises, even though there is a patch available and no new variants have appeared in two years.” (I ask you to think about that. It might change your definition of “IT Professional”..)

US Makes No Progress on Cybersecurity

Featured News: Russian cyber crime market more organized, lucrative

“Traditional mafia groups are entering the cyber crime scene in Russia, which is leading to more centralization and professionalization — and bigger profits.“

Like, I said, that is just a few headlines.
Just today.

We live in interesting times.

Your antivirus is up-to-date, and you use good passwords.. right? (And.. not the same one for everything???)

So. Fersher I need some Friday Fun. And I need to get outside and into the sunshine.

*     *     *

Today’s quote: “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yeah. Sure. Uh Huh:

quick-easy.net

‘Cuz that’s how we like it, quick & easy.

Copyright 2007-2012 © “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.