Use Spotify? Be aware..

Folks, yet another item to know about.

* Spotify serving malicious ads to freemium users

“Several Spotify users are reporting that the streaming music service is serving malware to its users through its advertiser network. Users on company’s user forum noted that ads running on Spotify Free, the streaming music service’s free product, automatically open malicious websites without their permission.” Read more..

* * *

Today’s quote: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.” ~ 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.

And today it’s Apple Mac — again

I really, really have to stop looking at tech news…

* What’s behind backdoor #3? Mac version of Mokes malware follows Linux, Windows variants

“The malware is programmed to swipe data and images from a victim’s machine, including screenshots taken every 30 seconds, audio and video captures, documents and keystrokes..” Read more..

This crap is costing us trillions.. each and every year.
(That we know about.. and that’s the tip of the iceberg.)

Please don’t think you’re safe because you have an antivirus. No security program is bulletproof. You simply must constantly exercise “paranoid common sense”, and turn off all curiosity. The bad guys want you to click their links, so don’t click (when on the Internet) unless you’re certain it’s safe, and you need to go there. Don’t ‘download’ and install a program unless you’re certain you need it. I’ll go further: if you don’t know what the word “malware” is, 3/4ths through 2016, get off the Internet altogether.

• The telephone has gotten almost as bad. No you didn’t win a free cruise. No, the IRS is not about to “file criminal action”. No, they are not “conducting a quick survey”.. etc., etc..

* * *

Today’s quote: “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” ~ Jack Layton

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.

Windows Owners Be Aware of this Latest Threat!

An ALERT! for you folks who own Microsoft Windows PC’s. And you should know by now, “ransomware” is that (type of) hacker virus that makes you pay to get your files back. Please pass this item on to your friends and loved ones.

* New ‘Fantom’ Ransomware Poses As Windows Update

“Fantom malware comes disguised as a legitimate Microsoft Windows update to trick consumers and business users into downloading it.” Read more..

And.. to counteract all the bad news in the tech world, how about a dose of relief? (And yes folks, there’s enough of it that I am becoming thoroughly ‘anti-technology’ :( .)

* * *

Today’s quote: “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo Buscaglia

Yes. I’ve posted that one before. But, be honest, it’s easy to let this slip one’s mind.
We can’t let it.

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.

A few items for your Friday

Here are a few items for your consideration:

First up, yesterday I alerted iPhone users to the fact that Apple is urging all owners to ‘upgrade’ to the latest version of iOS. Here’s more on why that’s a really good idea:
[ NOTE: “zero-day” is Geekspeak for “an attack for which we currently have no defense”.]

* Three zero-days found in iOS, Apple suggests users update their iPhone

“Pegasus is highly advanced in its use of zero-days, obfuscation, encryption and kernel-level exploitation and the malware has been active for some time..” Read more..

And a couple more..

* Every Android App You Need

“Whether you’ve got a brand-new Galaxy Note 7 or an older Android phone or tablet you just want to spruce up, these are the apps that matter.” Read more..

* The Best Laptops for College

“Need a light, affordable laptop you can carry all over campus? These 10 affordable picks make the grade.” Read more..

And last but certainly NOT least…

* WhatsApp to Share Your Data with Facebook — You have 30 Days to Stop It

“Nothing comes for Free, as “Free” is just a relative term used by companies to develop a strong user base and then use it for their own benefits. The same has been done by the secure messaging app WhatsApp, which has now made it crystal clear that the popular messaging service will begin sharing … ” Read more..

[ NOTE: that “sharing” includes your phone number.. but sheeze, you don’t think FB doesn’t already know your phone number?? ]

*     *     *

Today’s quote: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” ~ Steve Jobs

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.

Beware People (Be Aware)

There’s a new development in the world of cybercriminal scammers everyone needs to be aware of.

* Tech support scams gain sophistication, now using malware

“Tech support scammers are upping their game, actively using malware to cause computer technical issues— effectively holding devices for ransom and forcing consumers to call a fake support number, which opens them up to identity theft and future credit problems.” Read more..

Remember: “Malware” is viruses, trojans, cryptolockers.. anything bad.

And to lightening things up a bit (as I don’t you to think I’m nothing but a downer).. something completely unrelated to tech:

Today’s quote: “Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.” ~ Jim Rohn

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.

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.

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.

---

>> 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.)