Nanny Cam Takeover

I’ve been hearing stories about baby cams, nanny cams, laptop cams, computer cams, and inexpensive home security cameras that have been hijacked due to poor or non-existent security setting, and set up for viewing on the camera feed aggregation site www.insecam.org.  These feeds are not just nurseries, but bedrooms, living rooms, and a variety of exterior locations.  These feds also display GPS coordinates, which makes it trivial to find the exact location of the feed source.  See an ...

Continue Reading →
20
APR
0

Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, surveillance

Samsung Testing Iris Recognition

As the age of password authentication falls to newer and faster password cracking hardware, software, and list building tools, technologists have been looking at other authentication methods.  Many of these techniques we have covered here: two-factor authentication (2FA), secure key, smartphone authentication apps, Google’s USB security dongle, fingerprint readers, and other biometrics.

Recently, Samsung, together with SRI, have started working on an iris recognition authentication methodology called IOM or “Iris On the Move.”  The human iris, the colored part of the eye, ...

Continue Reading →
17
APR
0

authentication, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, passwords

Free And Easy Upgrade to Windows 10

Windows10Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on its latest operating system, Windows 10.  We already have published in a previous article that this new OS will be a free upgrade from Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1.  If you are keeping your computers current via Windows Update, your upgrade will be available from there.  It will also be possible to download an ISO image to bring to a ...

Continue Reading →
10
APR
0

Computers and Internet, Windows 10

Is Your Computer Part Of A Botnet?

computer-zombieA “bot-net” is a robot network comprised of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of “zombie hosts,” as computers that are infected with bot malware are called.  Botnets are created by a type of professional cyber-criminal known as a “bot-herder,” and generally rented out to other criminals for sending millions of spam messages daily, running huge parallel processing tasks such as password cracking operation, or used by extortionists, hacktivists, and government ...

Continue Reading →
8
APR
0

botnet, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity

D-Link Wireless Routers Need Security Update

D-LinkAre you using a D-Link wireless router in your home or business, D-Link has released a firmware upgrade for several popular router models to fix a security vulnerability that would allow remote access and DNS spoofing.  By changing the DNS settings on a router, an attacker can forward your traffic to a proxy server where your communications could be monitored for useful content, as well as redirecting your to malware-laden ...

Continue Reading →
3
APR
0

Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, Wi-Fi, wireless

Will Self-Aware Computers Keep Humans as Pets?

“Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.” – Steve Wozniak, co-creator of the Apple computer

I just started reading a book from 1999, written by Ray Kurweil called The Age of Spiritual Machines.  This book explores the consequences of our technological changes as they relate to AI or Artificial Intelligence, sometimes called “the Singularity,” and the future of the human race in the age of self-aware machines.  We have all see the “Terminator” movie series, with its ...

Continue Reading →
30
MAR
0

artificial intellegence, Computers and Internet

Removing Junk Programs From Your Computer

Bloatware, crapware, trialware, PUPs Potentially Unwanted Programs)  This stuff fills up our hard drive and usually has a component that starts automatically when we reboot our computer.  With all this unnecessary stuff running in the background, your computer runs slower. And a lot of this stuff pushes advertising, either as pop-up, search redirects, or on the web pages we are viewing.  Where does all this stuff come from?

If you bought your computer at retail, much of this stuff comes preinstalled. ...

Continue Reading →
20
MAR
0

Computers and Internet, crapware, Spyware

Apple – The Golden God Has Feet Of Clay

Microsoft bashing is a popular past time, which I admit to participating in myself.  And yet, I am a Windows guy, I run Vista and like it, or at least don’t hate it.  My limited experiences with the Apple OS have not impressed me that much – not better, just different, and somewhat confusing, at least in the learning stages.

One of the issues that seems to pop up when I am supporting my Windows customers is the ...

Continue Reading →
13
SEP
0

Computers and Internet

Skype Out

Voice over internet Protocol (VoIP) provider Skype, an eBay subsidiary, was out of service for a couple of days last week.  Before you get all excited and turned off over VoIP because of this, bear in mind that things are not that much different on wireline phone service.  I used to work for a major wireline telephone company, and several smaller wireline competitors. Regular wired phone service can go out for days at a time due to natural disaster, ...
Continue Reading →
20
AUG
0

Computers and Internet

Sophisticated Phishing Attack uses Monster.com information

A very sophisticated identity theft operation is using information it acquired illegally from Monster.com to send realistic looking phishing e-mails to people, encouring them to visit web sites that will install a couple of nasty Trojan horses.  Banker.c, when installed on a computer, tracks keystrokes looking for log in and password information for bank accounts.  Gpcoder encrypts a users files without their knowledge or permission, and then holds the information hostage until a ranson is paid using Western Union Bid Pay.  ...
Continue Reading →
20
AUG
0

Computers and Internet

Page 59 of 61 «...3040505758596061