In the July issue of Microsoft’s free Security for Home Computer Users newsletter(sign up here), there was an article entitled “Is that Call from Microsoft a Scam?” The answer in a nutshell was: yes, it is a scam.
Microsoft is not going to call you. Neither is Hewlett Packard, Dell, Symantec, Comcast, your ISP, Google, Yahoo, or your email service provider. If you get a call, and they are trying to tell you that they can ...
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When you get an email that is spoofed as the example below has been, this is called a Phishing email. The object is to “hook” the recipient into doing something that will be harmful to their wealth. I got one just this morning that for me was a new look, and included the threat of legal action. If you ...
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In a great article on Wired.com, Andy Greenberg details how he used the smartphone app KeyMe to create a key that allowed him to access his neighbors apartment (with permission of course). The KeyMe app allows you to store copies of your keys online so in the event you lose or misplace you keys, or lock yourself out, you can have a key made using 3D printing and open the door you need to open. Sounds ...
Continue Reading →In the August 2014 issue, Wired Magazine has an interesting article about the history of Autocorrect and it’s predecessor, Microsoft’s Spell Check, and the guy who started it all, Dean Hachamovitch. What started out as dictionary lists of commonly misspelled words is now an algorithm driven monster that takes what you are writing and turns it into other stuff that is daffy, funny, or sometimes embarrassingly obscene. Not reviewing the article here, but instead sharing a couple of ...
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I just read an article on Sophos that shows all the steps in a typical phishing exploit. The example they used was a spoofed iTunes scam, where the attackers warn you that unauthorized persons are buying songs on your account. If you really want to learn how to spot and avoid these threats, you should make the click over to their site. But basically the exploits starts with an email (as many of them do.)
Continue Reading →The red flags in ...
As the Target Christmas case unfolded, the initial breach was eventually traced back to a refrigeration and AC vendor for a few of Target’s Ohio and Pennsylvania stores. A clever spearphishing email caused some one at the contractor to reveal user credentials that allowed the attackers into one part of the network, and then they were able to traverse onto other more important parts of the network.
Well as bad at that was, the situation for your medical records is probably ...
Continue Reading →The US swooped down and scooped up Roman Valerevich Seleznev, 30, of Vladivostok, who is also know as Track2 and Bulba on Dark Net credit card exchange boards. Seleznev was evidently vacationing in the Maldives, a popular set of resort islands in the Indian Ocean. He is responsible for collecting credit card information directly from compromised point of sale (POS) systems, and reselling them on card trader boards on the Internet. He was indicted in 2011 on:
Continue Reading →five counts of bank ...
If you have never been to Ax-Man, well you have missed out on a wonderful and hilarious experience. With 4 locations in St Paul, Fridley, St Louis Park, and Crystal, there ought to be a location near to you, if you live in the Twin Cities anyway. We were in the Crystal store on a Sunday recently, to browse the racks of surplus electronics, corks, jars, boxes, parts, packs and bags, wire, rope, ties, and other surplus detritus ...
Continue Reading →In case you are wondering what your tax dollars have been doing over at the NSA, there was an interesting release from the Snowden files that appeared in Bruce Schneier’s Crypto-Gram newsletter on July 15th. If you are interested in more information, you can find it on First Look. Just because you have “nothing to hide” doesn’t mean that they can’t find something to hang you with. And here is how they can do it. Just saying…
Here is ...
Continue Reading →The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) the middle east’s answer to the NSA, recently defaced the website of news agency Reuters. They accomplish this by hacking the advertising servers of third-party advertising provider Taboola. The SEA evidently gained access to Taboola through the use of phishing emails which asked the recipients for their logon credentials. This is a very simple to use attack and almost anyone could use, and re-emphasizes the need for employee security awareness training. This could have been ...
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