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..

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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.

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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.

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

And today it’s Linux’s turn .. (sigh)

I gotta stop paying attention to the tech news… :(

* Linux rootkit, named for Pokémon’s Umbreon, targets Linux

“A new rootkit family, dubbed Umbreon after a character in the popular Pokémon game who hides in the night, has been detected targeting Linux users, according to a Monday post by Trend Micro researchers.” Read more..

[ Don’t know what a “rootkit” is? You really should by now. No excuse, actually. Go to Wikipedia right now! ]

* * *

Today’s quote: “Since our society equates happiness with youth, we often assume that sorrow, quiet desperation, and hopelessness go hand in hand with getting older. They don’t. Emotional pain or numbness are symptoms of living the wrong life, not a long life.” ~ Martha Beck

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.

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.)

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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.

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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.

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

Outlook Verification Alerts – Dear New Outlook Account User

Maybe I should have titled today’s article “A Poisonous PDF”

Kind of strange, Hotmail, oops!, excuse me, Outlook.com, did not flag this email as spam..

You should know, by now (halfway through 2013), that scuzbucket sleazeball “hackers” send us emails trying to trick us into clicking links to dangerous websites, or download a virus, and further know that PDF format attachments can be “poisoned” to contain a virus.

So, you should be very leery of any email with a “paperclip” (an “attachment”). And if that email comes unexpectedly, doubly so. And if that email comes from a stranger, or claims to come from a business organization (such as Delta airlines, Pay Pal, Microsoft, or UPS, for example) delete it, unopened. Don;t even glance at it. (Since 2007, curiosity, when on the Web, kills the cat.)

Other “red flags” (besides the paperclip)

Even though this particular attack (and yes, this is an “attack” on me) purports to be from “Outlook Verification Alerts”, the Sender field is someone’s name (in my case, “Ingila Hollqvist”, though that is probably randomly generated). And their email address is (showing as) something other than “outlook.com” or “microsoft.com”.

And of course, there’s the Engrish.

*     *     *

Now I know that you would never open such an email attachment as this one here. But I guaranty some folks will.

Today’s quote: “Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes.” ~ Hugh Prather

Copyright 2007-2013 © “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.