New Phishing Scam Uses FBI and IRS Logos

There is a new twist on an old tax scam appearing in email inboxes recently.  The new phishing exploit uses both IRS and FBI emblems to scare recipients into provide personal information on a downloadable questionnaire.  You can read the official warning here.

I like to remind people that the IRS only communicates with taxpayers by postal mail.  Sometimes they might send a US Marshal.  And the FBI certainly would not be sending an email when they can ...

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6
OCT
0

Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, Identity Theft, Phishing, Security, social engineering

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Security Issue With CCleaner

Piriform’s CCleaner is a popular computer cleaning and optimizing product that many people use.  I have my doubts about the real effectiveness of these utilities, but many of my clients swear by it.  I have used CCleaner myself several times as one of the tools I used to clean up a malware infection.

Recently, the CCleaner software code was modified  to include a malicious backdoor.  This warning was published earlier in ...

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4
OCT
0

Computers and Internet, crapware, cybersecurity, malware, Security, Software vulnerability, Trojan

The Weakest Link In Cybersecurity is in Your Mirror

That’s right, it’s still you.  Sorry.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and this week’s theme is Simple Steps to Online Safety.

The toughest part of cybersecurity is securing the human mind, emotions, behaviors, and responses from the making a decision or taking an action that will open the door for a cyber-attacker.  The reality is that it is much easier to secure systems than humans. And unfortunately, humans have been given ...

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2
OCT
0

Android, Apple, authentication, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, passwords, Phishing, Security, smartphones, social engineering

BlueBorne Bluetooth Hijacker – What Do We Know?

Cybersecurity researchers at Armis Labs have released information about a new attack vector called BlueBorne.  This exploit has the potential to put millions of devices running Windows, Linux, Android or iOS operating systems at risk.

This exploit allows attackers to connect over the Bluetooth radio system with having to first pair the two Bluetooth enabled devices.  Once installed, the attacker has full control ...

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29
SEP
0

Android, Apple, botnet, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, Linux, malware, Security, smartphones, Software vulnerability, Spyware, wireless

D-Link Does Bad Security Again

A security research found 10 “critical” security flaws in a popular D-Link wireless router.  This is not the first time that poor security has painted this company with the ugly stick.  They have previously been sued by the Federal Trade Commission, and we have reported about their deficiencies in this blog.

Security researcher Pierre Kim says the D-Link DIR-850L AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud router has 10 security vulnerabilities serious enough for ...

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27
SEP
0

cybersecurity, Internet of Things, wireless

An Interesting New Twist on WordPress Site Hijacking

This story reads like fiction.  OK, not great fiction, but this story illustrates another way that WordPress websites can be hijacked and used to promote a cyber scam.

WordPress websites are often hijacked so a phisher can host their landing page on a site that does not lead back to them.  And WordPress sites can be interesting targets for other cyber-criminals who export ...

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25
SEP
0

cybersecurity, Software vulnerability, Web Design, WordPress

Bad Passwords Still Allowed

The Sophos Naked security blog ran an article in August that was a disappointing revelation about major online brands that allow ridiculously easy user passwords.  Just because a web site will permit you to use a bad password, doesn’t mean you should.  Our current recommendation is to use passwords of at least 15 characters, and couple that with two-factor authentication at every opportunity.

The password management program Dashlane performed an audit of 37 online brands and rated their ...

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22
SEP
0

authentication, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, passwords

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