More happy news for your Friday
(I hope you didn’t eat at a Wendy’s recently..)
Absolutely none of this should surprise you.
First up:
* Hackers Can Steal Your ATM PIN from Your Smartwatch Or Fitness Tracker
“As your day-to-day apparel and accessories are turning into networked mobile electronic devices that attach to your body like smartwatch or fitness band, the threat to our personal data these devices collect has risen exponentially.” Read more..
(There are Privacy concerns with those dang things too, BTW.)
And..
* Flaw Allows Attackers to Remotely Tamper with BMW’s In-Car Infotainment System
“The Internet of things or connected devices are the next big concerns, as more Internet connectivity means more access points which mean more opportunities for hackers. When it comes to the threat to Internet of Things, Car Hacking is a hot topic. Since many automobiles companies are offering..” Read more..
* This Android Hacking Group is making $500,000 per day
“The bad news for affected Android users is that Hummer is extremely difficult if not impossible to get rid of, because the Trojan takes control of the phone at admin level, making it impossible for traditional antivirus tools to uninstall Hummer.
The dangerous part: It is impossible to delete the Trojan through a factory reset due to the fact Hummer comes equipped with up to 18 different separate rooting exploits that allow it to root itself on a phone..” Read more..
( Infecting a million phones each day…!!! )
And last but not least..
* Over 1000 Wendy’s Restaurants Hit by Credit Card Hackers
“The Popular fast-food restaurant chain Wendy’s on Thursday admitted that a massive cyber attack had hit more than 1,000 of its restaurants across the country. The burger chain did not speculate how many people may have been affected, though it did confirm that the hackers were able to steal its …” Read more..
So.. let’s see if I can come up with a good quote after all that news..
Today’s quote: “Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.” ~ Ernest Holmes
(And I’m thinkin’ it’s time to Just Say No to our current tech… All of us.)
>> 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.
While I was away…
Let’s take a look at some of the recent headlines in Tech. (In no particular order..)
* FCC privacy rules can’t stop ‘gold rush’ in personal data
“The flourishing ‘surveillance capitalism’ that profits from selling consumers’ personal data will be little affected by the new rules.” Read More..
* Malvertising Campaign Hits Top Websites to Spread Ransomware
“Hackers are always in search for an elite method to create loopholes in the cyberspace to implement the dark rules in the form of vulnerability exploitation. Top Trustworthy sites such as The New York Times, BBC, MSN, AOL and many more are on the verge of losing their face value as a …” Read more..
* Warning — Hackers can Silently Install Malware to Non-Jailbroken iOS Devices
“Hard time for mobile phone users! Just recently, two severe vulnerabilities in Qualcomm Snapdragon chip and Stagefright were spotted on the Android platform, affecting more than a Billion and Millions of devices respectively. And now: Hackers have discovered a new way to install malicious apps ..” Read more..
* Apple users, beware: First live ransomware targeting Macs …
“Security researchers have discovered what they believe to be the first-ever ransomware attack targeted at Apple users that actually made it out …” Read more..
* Android Trojan infiltrates mobile firmware, Trend Micro apps
“An Android Trojan which displays unwanted ads and installs nuisance software on mobile devices has been discovered in the firmware of smartphones and in popular Android applications, according to researchers.” Read more..
[ “firmware” is chip-level coding, which comes into play when you first power up, but before the operating system (and therefore, any ‘anti-virus’) launches. ]
* The 18 scariest computer viruses of all time (slideshow)
And, there’s also Apple vs the F.B.I., and other delightful stories… But.. none of them are happy.
Today’s quote: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
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.
Headlines of note
Interesting ‘news’ items today.
* PayPal Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Steal All Your Money
* Supercookies are back, and they’re as unappealing as ever
“Supercookies are back in force. But if supercookies are so great for consumers, why aren’t mobile carriers bragging about using them?” Read more..
* Scanner identifies thousands of malicious Android apps on Google Play, other markets
“A team of researchers have created an app vetting scanner referred to as “MassVet,” and they used it to identify more than 127,000 potentially harmful applications (PHA) in more than 30 Android markets – including Google Play.” Read more..
* The Internet of Things is a safety issue, and therefore a business risk
“When you merge the physical and the digital, it’s not just about InfoSec any more. People’s lives could be at risk.” Read more..
* Adobe Flash steadily heading toward demise
“After multiple malvertising campaigns on major ad networks, including Yahoo and AdSpirit.de, as well as the disclosure of major vulnerabilities, companies have begun banning Adobe Flash ads on their websites.” Read more..
[ Well.. that’s about 5 years too late.. But, better late than blah blah. ]
* Here’s How Iranian Hackers Can Hack Your Gmail Accounts
“Hackers are getting smarter in fooling us all, and now they are using sophisticated hacking schemes to get into your Gmail. Yes, Iranian hackers have now discovered a new way to fool Gmail’s tight security system by bypassing its two-step verification – a security process that requires a security code (generally sent via SMS) along with the password in order to log into Gmail account.” Read more..
* Warning! How Hackers Could Hijack Your Facebook Fan Page With This Trick
“Facebook bounty hunter Laxman Muthiyah from India has recently discovered his third bug of this year in the widely popular social network website that just made a new record by touching 1 Billion users in a single day. At the beginning of the year, Laxman discovered a serious flaw in Facebook graphs that allowed him to view or probably delete others photo album on Facebook, even without …” Read more..
Oh, yes, there’s more, but…
Today’s quote: “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
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.
Everyday cybercrime — and what you can do about it
Folks, here is an “educational” Ted Talks video I think everyone should see. I hope you will forward this on to your less-savvy friends and family (and urge them to watch it).
Today’s quote: “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.” ~ Mark Twain
Copyright 2007-2013 © “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.
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.
>> 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.
Cybersecurity and Cybercrime: 2012 in Review
(And Congrats to Buster Posey!)
Folks, another brief slideshow I think you should see.
A year in cybersecurity and cybercrime: 2012 review
“During the year, we have seen the destruction of SOPA and PIPA but the emergence of CISPA and similar laws around the world, a growing trend in hacks and scams, an explosion in malware, and states committing cyberwarfare on their friends and foes. Here’s a run-down of what happened in 2012.” See the (14 slides) slideshow here.
.. funny … they didn’t mention all the big data “breaches” (nor the “corporate espionage”) … but, still, take a look.
Related: Reports: Obama Signs Classified Cybersecurity Directive
“President Obama has reportedly signed a classified directive establishing guidelines to protect the nation’s computer networks.” Read more..
[Reactions in the InfoSec community are mixed.. It’s a good read.]
Kinda’ Sorta’ related: 2012 in Review: Tech Turkeys of the Year
“And now, for your reading pleasure, the very worst from the tech world in 2012.” Read more..
Apropos of nuttin at all: I liked Buster Posey from Day One. And while no one player makes a team a champion team, I think few could argue that the S.F. Giants would not be where they are without this kid. Congratulations, Mr. Posey! Buster Posey is voted NL MVP
“The National League Most Valuable Player award voters came to the same conclusion that any Giants-watcher had to reach in 2012: This team would not have gone far without its 25-year-old catcher and leader.” Read more..
[I like it when – against all odds – good things happen to good people.]
Today’s quote: “There are three things which are real: God, human folly, and laughter. The first two are beyond our comprehension. So we must do what we can with the third.” ~ John F. Kennedy
Copyright 2007-2012 © “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.
• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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