NEW YORK, NY - Misfortune Anyone? Today, WordFence [I really love these people], a company whom distributes a popular security plugin for WordPress websites, released a great article about a vulnerability on computer networks that is being exploited. With the article they also included a simple button which you can use to scan your network's vulnerability, so that if you are vulnerable to this Internet router exploit, you will know about it ASAP and can begin hounding … [Read more...]
iCloud Ransom: Will Hackers Wipe 627 Million Apple Devices on April 7th 2017?
NEW YORK, NY - Apple products have changed our lives incredibly over the last several years. IPhones, iPads, Macs, and all the rest provide many benefits making our lives a little bit easier and more enjoyable in general, but a couple of weeks ago, a hacking group calling themselves the “Turkish Crime Family” began contacting media outlets claiming that they had breached the Apple iCloud, and had access to millions of user accounts and would remotely wipe the accounts (and … [Read more...]
Domain Suspension – Registrant Information Verification Failure; It Could Happen to You
REMINDER: If you change either the first name, last name or email address on one of your domain registrations, you’ll need to verify the new information via email within 15 calendar days or you will be met with a page similar to this one in the below screenshot. This new policy took effect back in January of 2014 but this is how long it took for me to actually see one of these pages in action; it happened today. Not paying attention to those email verification … [Read more...]
New York Releases Tips to Avoid Falling Victim to Cybercrime; Commemorates National Data Privacy Day
NEW YORK, NY - A host of New York State government agencies today announced important tips consumers and businesses can follow to protect their online privacy and information from unscrupulous scammers. These helpful steps and reminders from the Department of State, Office of Information Technology Services, Department of Taxation and Finance, Department of Financial Services and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services help commemorate National Data Privacy … [Read more...]
SEARCHEN.COM : An Anonymous Search Engine for Firefox and Chrome Users
There is now an alternative private search engine available for users of Firefox and Chrome browsers that utilizes Google Custom search features for alternative results. The search engine also includes a directory type structure, similar to DMOZ and the old Yahoo Directory which brings in additional static listings as sponsored ads alongside search results. Additionally, users can click icons to compare or display results on standard Google, BING, Yahoo and Ask. The search … [Read more...]
Q3 Report: Internet Advertising Revenues Climb to Nearly $10.7 Billion
(New York, NY) According to a press release by IAB, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Internet advertising revenues have continued their climb hitting $10.69 billion for the third quarter of 2013. This number reflects an increase of 15% over the previous year and a 4.2% increase over the previous quarter. That’s $10,690,000,000.00. This record breaking growth shows that more and more businesses are moving their ad dollars towards the Internet and those companies seeking … [Read more...]
Verizon Wireless Phishing Email: Scams & How to Avoid Them (Part 2)
Back in May 17th 2012 I wrote a very detailed post about a fake Verizon Wireless phishing email I received. I decided to write the post because I know there are a lot of people who receive these types of emails and I wanted to help educate people about this sort of thing. I’m sometimes taken back by how ramped this problem is and how many people are likely taken advantage of by just not knowing what to look for to keep them and their privacy safe. I also wrote it because … [Read more...]
Cybersecurity Legislation Fails: Persistence is Key; Ignorance is Bliss
Most people are familiar with the news that surrounded the major FBI raid on file-sharing site Megaupload. This was probably one of the biggest take-down stories of the year as the site had over one hundred and eighty million (180,000,000) registered members that visited over fifty million (50,000,000) times per day before it was shut down on January 19 2012. The sites founder, dubbed a file-sharing kingpin, Kim Dotcom, was indicted and charged with criminal copyright … [Read more...]
‘Social Discovery’ Apps Report Hidden Patterns; Predict Human Behavior
Social discovery apps are starting to pick up where social networking software leaves off. New apps hitting the market allow users to search for other individuals based on their age, name, gender, location and interests. They also allow the storage and research on troves and troves of user generated data which can then be analyzed by groups of scientists in order to uncover hidden patterns of our lives, thoughts or political views. Sites like Pintrest.com already fit this … [Read more...]
“Jelly Bean” and “Google Now” To Make Ordinary Search Less Interesting
Google I/O saw a number of new features go down in the book. Several of these were directly related to search. Jellybean is the latest version of Android (available next month), and the operating system comes with improved Knowledge Graph visualization technology. Out of all the features, however, the search features of Google Now might very well be the most significant change to user navigation. Google Now is designed to serve users information that they require based … [Read more...]
Google Market Share Strong Despite Growing Legal Problems, Competition
Google's Street View project is currently being investigated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). While Street Views are designed to provide panoramic views and wireless mapping of areas, there are allegations that the process “went beyond mapping wireless connections” and private information and communications have been intercepted and collected during the process. According to FCC documents, Google's data gathering efforts have allowed people’s communications, … [Read more...]
Sudden House Passage of CISPA Legislation Sparks Hullabaloo
The rapid approval of new cybersecurity legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday has caught opponents off guard. The controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA) would grant law enforcement and national-security agencies broad powers to monitor private electronic communications. The 248 to 168 margin was especially galling to critics who had harshly denounced the bill as even more expansive than either the Stop Online Piracy … [Read more...]