A quick Saturday digest of cybersecurity news articles from other sources.
Porn-warning security scam hooks you up to “Apple Care”
It’s a toll free “Apple Care” number, meaning that in theory it shouldn’t cost you a thing – so what’s the harm in calling just in case?
Extortionist lawyer pleads guilty to creating porn honeypot
These guys give lawyers a bad name, if that isn’t an oxymoron. I’ve often said lawyers use the law to extort money from people in ways that would land the rest of us in jail. Prenda Law masterminds Paul Hansmeier and John Steele filmed and uploaded the porn videos, then sued the “John Does” who downloaded them. And ended up in jail!
And this article from TechDirt – Prenda Scam Boss, Paul Hansmeier, Pleads Guilty
Alleged SIM-swap scammer nabbed for stealing $5m in Bitcoin
“Hi Daddy Love you,” texted the daughter of one of the hacker’s alleged victims. The reply: “TELL YOUR DAD TO GIVE US BITCOIN”
How Bitcoin and the Dark Web hide SamSam in plain sight
SamSam is a selective and highly targeted ransomware exploit that has made $6 million for the cyber-crime group that runs it. Bitcoin and the Dark Web are familiar terms, but what are they and how do they help SamSam operate in plain sight?
FBI Releases Article on Building a Digital Defense Against Facebook Scams
08/07/2018 10:57 PM EDT Original release date: August 07, 2018
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released an article on building a digital defense against a fraud that uses Facebook’s texting app—Facebook Messenger. Scammers send messages that appear to be from trusted sources or trick users into clicking on malicious links or sharing personal information. Before clicking on links, users should verify the validity of the message with the sender outside of the app.
NCCIC encourages users to review the FBI Article and NCCIC Tip on Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information. If you believe you have been a victim of these scams, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov .
Also see our post Phishing on Facebook – Angler Phishing
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About the Author:
I am a cybersecurity and IT instructor, cybersecurity analyst, pen-tester, trainer, and speaker. I am an owner of the WyzCo Group Inc. In addition to consulting on security products and services, I also conduct security audits, compliance audits, vulnerability assessments and penetration tests. I also teach Cybersecurity Awareness Training classes. I work as an information technology and cybersecurity instructor for several training and certification organizations. I have worked in corporate, military, government, and workforce development training environments I am a frequent speaker at professional conferences such as the Minnesota Bloggers Conference, Secure360 Security Conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, the (ISC)2 World Congress 2016, and the ISSA International Conference 2017, and many local community organizations, including Chambers of Commerce, SCORE, and several school districts. I have been blogging on cybersecurity since 2006 at http://wyzguyscybersecurity.com