NEW YORK, NY - It seems like a new security threat is born each day; maybe that is because there is. For those who operate WordPress sites, including myself, there is a new threat to consider that is designed to bypass ordinary security measures; a simple back door, you have already left wide-open, by choice. WordPress Plugins are great additions to any WordPress site as they create all sorts of easy plug-and-play options and make often complicated features simple to … [Read more...]
Phishing: Watch-out for New Dangerous Godaddy Email Phishing Attempt
NEW YORK, NY - This is just a quick reminder to remain vigilant of all sorts of threats from hackers, email-spoofers, phishers and scammers; you can never let your guard down these days when it comes to your accounts, financial information and especially your domain accounts, because loss of your domain name can be loss of your business and will likely be permanent. Just this week news broke about an Equifax hack that hit credit histories of up to 143 million … [Read more...]
US Fortune 500 Businesses, Their Domain Name Characteristics, and Secure Status
NEW YORK, NY - Each year Fortune Magazine publishes a list of the largest companies in the United States by revenue. Below is the list for 2016. Also below, are some interesting characteristics of their domain name choices including whether or not these companies are prepared for SSLs on their corporate websites. 494 are using .com domain names, 4 use .nets, 1 .org, and 1 .xyz. 494 (98.8%) have chosen the ".com" extension for their domain name. 235 (47%) are … [Read more...]
I’m Going Save Lots of Money on My Domains; Here’s How You’ll Save Too
NEW YORK – Unless you have been living under a virtual rock for the last year or so, you should be well aware that the “Google Gods” will be forcing everyone to secure their websites with SSL Certificates or an ugly message will appear on-top of browsers letting users know that the site their visiting sucks-ass (I know, I'm stretching here) and shouldn’t be trusted as much as some other sites around the web. I call them Google Gods, because they maintain that … [Read more...]
Weak Attempt at Phishing Network Solutions Account Holders
LONG ISLAND, NY - Network Solutions is a popular provider of domain names and web hosting accounts in addition to other tools used for Internet services. They're a common target due to the ability to hijack web sites and steal domain names when and if someone gains access to the account. Damages can be horrific as it is possible to permanently shut down and steal your asset or online business. Below is a weak attempt at gaining access to my Network Solutions account through … [Read more...]
Major Security Vulnerability Due to IDN Domains; Don’t Get Phished Out of Business
NEW YORK, NY - This is the most dangerous and convincing phishing trick I have ever seen before. It’s so amazingly horrible it will fool even the smartest computer users and it’s an issue that all browser companies should be fixing immediately. Browsers should be updated to prevent these Unicode domains from being translated. Once again our friends at WordFence are keeping all of us safe with critical information on this phishing trick and helping build awareness about … [Read more...]
Misfortune Anyone? This Dangerous Vulnerability Could Be Lurking In Your Network Router
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...]
Basically: How to Make a Good Website from a Domain Name; Layman’s Terms
NEW YORK, NY - Sometimes a simple explanation of how to do something can go a very long way. That is what we are doing this evening, we're going over how the heck to build a website from a simple domain name address. The basics; in layman's terms. First. The first thing you want to do with your project is to pick a good domain name. You want to pick a domain name with keywords related to whatever it is that you are building. For instance, if you were building a … [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...]
Expense Report: Domainers to See Increase in Costs via Secure Browser Requirements
Over the last year, buzz on SSL use in general has been skyrocketing due to increased hacking and search engine requirements. Now, web browsers will instill even more urgency for webmasters and site owners to get-their-act-together and prepare to tackle the challenge of converting non-secure sites, to secure. In a business field already difficult to prosper, the last thing you need is another monkey-wrench thrown into the mix. For many domain owners, including myself, it … [Read more...]
Protect Your Domains: No More Procrastinating on Two Factor Authenticating
There is one thing that can come between you and your business regardless of whom you are and how safe you feel your security procedures might be and that’s theft – especially in the domain business. There is a lot that can go wrong in the Internet business as it is, but likely nothing would be as bad as someone stealing your entire Internet address. Poof, all the sudden your entire business is gone. In a brick-and-motor business, it’s not likely that someone will come along … [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...]
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...]
Google Webmaster Tools Now Offers Email Alerts for Crawl Errors
Google Webmaster Tools has been fairly popular for some time but it’s popularity is beginning to grow even more quickly. Much of this new found fame is due to the messages being received by a wide range of webmasters (over 700,000 recently), primarily from, or what seems to be from, the changes rolled out in Google’s Penguin update. Equally significant is the significant buzz and publicity surrounding the fact that receiving these messages is generally bad news for your site … [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...]
Rich Snippets: The Absence of Star Ratings & Reviews In Google Search
Most Internet news agencies originally praised Google's decision to replace its local search business rating system with Zagat ratings. After all, the acquisition of Zagat data was a major business decision by the search engine giant who paid a hefty price for those scores, $125 million as originally reported by the Wall Street Journal (more recently reported by AP to be $151 million). However, it seems that business owners and local webmasters who run sites previously … [Read more...]
Fake Verizon Wireless Email: Email Scams & How To Avoid Them
Below is why you should get ‘out of the habit’ of clicking on any links within an email. Scams are running rampant with email and they’re not always easy to spot with the naked eye, so be cautious and think before you click. PLEASE NOTE: THE PHOTO EMAIL BELOW IS NOT SENT FROM VERIZON®. IF YOU RECEIVE IT, IT'S A FAKE. IT IS BEING USED BELOW AS AN EXAMPLE OF AN ACTUAL "PHISHING" EMAIL I RECEIVED. VERIZON® IS ALREADY AWARE OF IT AND TRYING TO PUT A STOP TO IT. THIS IS HERE TO … [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...]
Google’s Move To Encrypt Search Referrals
Everyone on the planet should boycott Google Analytics, but Google knows no one will. Google Analytics isn’t about delivering a great free stats program to users. It’s about using Webmasters for learning about their traffic and Google’s competitors. Google built an exceptional tool for Webmasters who are willing to share all their web sites information with Google in order to use the “free” Analytics system, including users time on site, user locations, referring sites, … [Read more...]
