Skype App Adds Video Calling

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When traveling for business, I often use Skype to video chat with my family at home. This is a comforting way to connect while sitting in a hotel. I’ll even leave the call on for hours at a time, just to watch what they do and hear the homestead background noise, which often includes the screaming of little ones.

The coolest thing about the Skype application for my iPhone has always been the ability to make calls from other countries to any phone number the USA for a flat rate of $3 per month. Skype-to-Skype calls are free to and from anywhere in the world.

Skype now works on the 3G network, but you may not want to use another carrier’s network in another country, at a cost of a dollar or more per minute, plus connection fees of $20 or more in many cases.

The new Skype app for the iPhone allows users to make video calls to any Skype user. With the new app, you can make free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls over 3G and Wi-Fi, share your Skype video calls with users on iPhones, PCs, and Macs, and you can talk face-to-face or display what you’re seeing with the iPhone’s front and rear-facing cameras.

Share that spectacular sight…show off those new shoes…include others in the big event…speak to clients face-to-face… Now Skype for iPhone lets you get more out of any moment with friends, family, and colleagues.

CNET reports, “Skype for iPhone will work for anyone on Skype’s network, be they desktop or mobile users. While you can only broadcast video on on Apple devices with rear-facing or front-facing cameras–namely the iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4, and iPhone 3GS, you can also receive incoming video broadcasts on the iPad and third-generation iPod Touch. As an extra bonus, desktop Skype users (Windows|Mac) can share a view of their computer screen with Skype users on iPhone.”

If you haven’t used Skype for video calling, give it a try. In my home we use it almost daily. I have an in-law in Australia, and she and my family talk via Skype all the time. The connection is nearly perfect, and best of all, it’s free!

Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto, discusses sharing too much information on the Internet on Fox News. Disclosures

Reducing The Devastation Of A House Fire

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If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? Of course it does. If your smoke detectors go off and you’re not home will your house burn down? Maybe.

Houses burn down when a fire apparatus doesn’t get to the home soon enough to put the fire out.

The most important aspect of any fire is protecting life and limb. The stuff inside and the structure itself doesn’t matter when it comes to human life. But when people lose all their stuff in a fire, it is still very hard, and to some, devastating.

If you lose all your mementos, clothes, photos and all the items that make life comfortable, it can take 1-2 years or more to adjust and get back on your feet.

Fortunately, today’s home security systems can also be equipped with fire alarms that prompt a dispatcher to call the fire department ASAP.

Messenger Post reports “Carol Miller, an emergency dispatch operator at ADT’s Henrietta facility, was notified that the fire alarm in a customer’s home had been activated. She immediately called the local fire department, which responded to the fire and was able to contain the damage to the kitchen.”

The homeowner was quoted saying “I don’t see how they could have done a better job because Carol Miller and the dispatchers saved everything,” “My life as I know it would have been completely done… I can’t wrap my mind around what would have happened. My whole house would’ve burned down.”

Burglars steal your stuff in small increments. They go after high value electronics or jewelry. Fire steals everything including lives. Consider a home security system that incorporates smoke detectors that alert a dispatcher, thereby increasing fire apparatus response time.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston.

Cape Coral, Florida Citizens Credited For Crime Drop

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In Cape Coral Florida, WZVN reports “Statistics in Cape Coral Florida show a major decrease in crime for 2010 and police say the biggest drop was in burglaries. They also say the citizens of Cape Coral played a big part in the crime rate reduction. “

That it is music to my ears.

“Newly released numbers from 2010 show that property crimes are down in Cape Coral and burglary is down 14-percent. And according to the police department’s own stats, burglary isn’t the only crime that’s shown a decrease. In 2009, there were just over 7,000 reported crimes in all. In 2010 there were just over 6,100 – an 11-percent decrease.”

The police department credits the citizens of Cape Coral for part of the decline because more neighbors are looking out for each other.

We know homes with security alarms and home security cameras are certainly more secure than homes that aren’t properly equipped. But, what good is all the security in the world if the neighborhood you live in is a combat zone? Quality of life suffers while you are in your fortress. But there are comprehensive solutions to a safer and more secure community. One of the most effective strategies available to any community is a neighborhood watch.

A neighborhood watch (also called a crime watch or neighborhood crime watch) is an organized group of citizens devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within a neighborhood. In the United States, it builds on the concept of a town watch from Colonial America.

A neighborhood watch may be organized as its own group or may simply be a function of a neighborhood association or other community association.

Neighborhood watches are not vigilante organizations. When suspecting criminal activities, members are encouraged to contact authorities and not to intervene.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston.

Putting An End to Data Breaches As We Know Them

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The AP reports “WikiLeaks’ release of secret government communications should serve as a warning to the nation’s biggest companies: You’re next.”

According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse’s Chronology of Data Breaches, more than 500 million sensitive records have been breached in the past five years. The Chronology of Data breaches lists specific examples of incidents in which personal data is compromised, lost, or stolen: “employees losing laptop computers, hackers downloading credit card numbers and sensitive personal data accidentally exposed online.”

WikiLeaks has been quite the news topic and for good reason. Data breaches cost in many ways. One cost is of course in the form or dollars. But when it is military secrets breached, that can cost lives.

It shouldn’t be this way.

The talk show pundits buzz that with the release of thousands of additional secret government documents, it leads to the conclusion that there is no way to protect sensitive data. If the government can’t even prevent a Private in the Army from stealing confidential data, what hope is there?

Nearly all WikiLeaks articles conclude that you have to tradeoff security with productivity, implying that content becomes unusable with higher levels of security in place. In this Associated Press article ‘Companies beware: The next big leak could be yours’, Jordan Robinson of the Associated Press, states:

“But the more companies control information, the more difficult it is for employees to access documents they are authorized to view. That lowers productivity and increases costs in the form of the additional help from technicians.”

This is true for traditional content security measures but ignores significant advances made by security company Zafesoft, whose solution does not require a change in user behavior or complex technical support to maintain. Companies that do a little research will find there is a way to protect their valuable information without compromising productivity and at a reasonable cost.

Robert Siciliano is a Personal Security and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing another databreach on Good Morning America. (Disclosures)

Military Members Face Identity Theft Threat

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Service men and women face an elevated level of identity theft due to the ubiquitous use of the Social Security number (SSN) both here and abroad.

Military personnel use their SSNs for a variety of reasons every day from everything including on various forms, IDs, access to facilities, and in Iraq they have it painted on their laundry bags.

A report published in the New York Times says “Service members and their families are burdened with a work environment that shows little regard for their personal information,” the report says, adding that the service members, “their units, military preparedness and combat effectiveness all will pay a price for decades to come.”

For the past 70 years, the Social Security number has become our de facto national ID. The numbers were first issued in the 1930s to track income for Social Security benefits. But functionality creep, which occurs when an item, process, or procedure ends up serving a purpose that it was never intended to perform, soon took effect.

Here we are, decades later, and the Social Security number has become the key to the kingdom. You’re forced to disclose your Social Security number regularly, and it appears in hundreds or even thousands of files, records, and databases, accessible to an untold number of people.

“Children of military personnel as young as 10 carry ID cards with Social Security numbers, as do their parents.”

Identity theft can happen to anyone. McAfee Identity Protection offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts. McAfee Identity Protection puts victims first and provides live access to fraud resolution agents who work with the victim to help restore their identity. For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing Social Security Numbers as National IDs on Fox News. (Disclosures)

Stolen Laptop Contained Prostate Cancer Research Data

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News9 in Oklahoma reports “An Oklahoma couple is urging thieves to return a stolen computer they say has the power to save millions of lives. The couple stopped at Panera to grab a meal before heading back to the lab. When they finished, they found their car windows broken and the laptop gone. Unfortunately, most of the data was never backed up, a mistake Shin said could be a major setback in the fight against cancer.”

OMG!!! Frankly, sometimes it is the smartest people that lack the most common sense!!!

In 2003, an estimated 1.5 million laptops were stolen worldwide. Today, that number has climbed to 2.6 million. That’s a 70% increase in just a few years. That’s one stolen laptop every 12 seconds.

Protecting a laptop from theft begins with backup up the data on it. While backing up data isn’t protecting the laptop from theft, but in the end, that is really all that matters. Laptops today are as little as $300.00 and the data on it could be worth millions. And in this case, it is worth lives.

I use a laptop and there isn’t any data on it other than movies. The laptop is used to access my PC where my data is stored and backed up.

Either way for $5.00 a month you can get unlimited backup that syncs your data in the cloud. In addition, backup your data on local drives. I use the Western Digital MyBook drives and have all my data backed up twice and automatically synced with Goodsync.

My data isn’t cancer research, but if I lost all of it, I’d want to die.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing self defense on Fox Boston.

New Consumer Electronics Security Lacking

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Early adopters of new technology often discover bugs, quirks, imperfections, and security issues before a product is widely adopted. That’s why I usually wait six to eight months for companies to fix their flaws.

Researchers discovered they could hack into Internet-ready HDTV’s. One of the top five best-selling TVs left its security process vulnerable to attack, allowing a hacker to compromise the data transmitted between the TV and websites that provide content. The report states that any website could be spoofed, and the spoofed site made to appear onscreen. The fake site could resemble a video download site, for example, and request credit card information for a movie purchase. Researchers also found that they were able to monitor data being sent from the TV to the Internet.

The New York Times reports:

“[This] test also illustrates what security experts have long warned: that the arrival of Internet TVs, smartphones and other popular Web-ready gadgets will usher in a new era of threats by presenting easy targets for hackers. As these devices become more popular, experts say, consumers can expect to run into familiar scams like credit card number thefts as well as new ones that play off features in the products. And because the devices are relatively new, they do not yet have as much protection as more traditional products, like desktop computers, do.”

Proposed solutions include software fixes and biometric authenticators, such as fingerprint readers and facial recognition technologies. Intel, the chip maker, recently bought McAfee a security software company , saying that they plan to incorporate McAfee’s security into gadget hardware.

In the meantime, consider waiting it out before you jump in. If already own this type of TV, be cognizant of the scam and beware of unauthorized charges to your card.

Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto, discusses another databreach on Fox News. Disclosures


Top Targets for Emerging Threats in 2011

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This McAfee Labs list comprises 2010’s most buzzed about platforms and services, all of which are expected to be major targets for cybercriminals in the coming year.

Exploiting Social Media: URL-shortening services
With more than 3,000 shortened URLs being generated per minute, McAfee Labs expects to see a growing number used for spam, scamming, and other malicious purposes.

Exploiting Social Media: Geolocation services
Locative services can easily search, track, and plot the whereabouts of friends and strangers. Cybercriminals can see what users are saying and where they are located in real time, as well as their interests and which operating systems and applications they are using.

Mobile: Usage is rising in the workplace, and so will attacks
2011 will bring a rapid escalation of attacks and threats to mobile devices, putting user and corporate data at very high risk.

Apple: No longer flying under the radar
The popularity of iPads and iPhones in business environments, combined with the lack of user understanding of proper security for these devices, will increase the risk for data and identity exposure.

Applications: Privacy leaks—from your TV
New Internet TV platforms were “rushed to market” by developers, and some lack security. These apps will target or expose privacy and identity data, and will allow cybercriminals to manipulate a variety of physical devices through compromised or controlled apps.

Sophistication Mimics Legitimacy: Your next computer virus could be from a friend
Malicious content disguised as personal or legitimate emails and files to trick unsuspecting victims will increase in sophistication. “Signed” malware that imitates legitimate files will become more prevalent, and “friendly fire,” in which threats appear to come from your friends, will grow.

Botnets: The new face of Mergers & Acquisitions
Botnets continue to use a seemingly infinite supply of stolen computing power and bandwidth. McAfee Labs predicts that the recent merger of Zeus and SpyEye will produce more sophisticated bots.

Hacktivism: Following the WikiLeaks path
Politically motivated hacks will proliferate and new, more sophisticated attacks will occur. More groups, consisting of individuals claiming to be independent of any particular government or movement, will follow WikiLeaks’ lead.

Advanced Persistent Threats: A whole new category
Operation Aurora gave birth to the new category of advanced persistent threat (APT)— a targeted cyber espionage or cyber sabotage attack carried out under the sponsorship or direction of a nation-state for something other than pure financial/criminal gain or political protest.

Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto, discusses credit and debit card fraud on CNBC. Disclosures

11.7 Million Identity Theft Victims Occur Per Year: Are You Next?

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According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, 5% of U.S. residents over the age of 16 fell victim to identity theft within a two-year period. More than half of those affected were victims of credit card fraud.

Identity theft was defined in the survey as the attempted or successful misuse of an existing account, such as a debit or credit account, misuse of personal information to open a new account, or misuse of personal information for other fraudulent purposes, such as obtaining government benefits.

Nationwide 1 out of 4 of those victims faced out of pocket loses of an average $1,870.00. Total losses exceeded $17 billion dollars.

More and more banks and credit card companies are getting better at detecting and preventing fraud in addition to offering zero liability policies. However there is still a significant dollar loss as the public is still being victimized at a staggering rate.

People are victimized in a number of ways including run of the mill scams, advanced fee scams, dumpster diving, mail theft, email phishing and criminal computer hacking.

The study further showed ages 65 and older were least likely to be victimized while those under 35 are much bigger targets. Those with incomes of $75,000.00 are more likely targets.

  1. Invest in a locking mailbox
  2. Shred everything disposable that has personal information
  3. Protect your PC with updated anti-virus and critical operating system security patches
  4. Beware of scams and ruses trying to separate you from your money
  5. Pay close attention to bank and credit card statements and refute unauthorized charges within 60 days.
  6. To ensure peace of mind —subscribe to an identity theft protection service, such as McAfee Identity Protection, which offers proactive identity surveillance and lost wallet protection. Backed by $1 million Guarantee, if your credit or debit cards are ever lost, stolen or misused without your authorization, you can call McAfee Identity Protection and they’ll help you cancel them and order new ones. Please see Guarantee for details.

For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him explain how a person becomes an identity theft victim on CounterIdentityTheft.com (Disclosures).

Is It A Home Invasion Or A Burglary?

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There has been lots of media attention on home invasions due to their frequency and the brutality that accompanies them.

A home invasion is much like a bank robbery when the robbers use force to get what they want. Robbery as defined in Wikipedia is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear. Robbery differs from simple theft, a break-in or burglary on its use of violence and intimidation.

Burglary on the other hand generally involves criminals who prefer the home is without occupants. They may impulsively enter a neighborhood and seek out homes that are dark, no car in the driveway, mail piled up and the doors and windows are left unsecured.

Often they will case a certain home and determine the specifics of when the resident is gone. Often they will make an effort to get a phone number of the home by getting the family name from a placard on the side of the house or from information in the mailbox.

In both situations proper security can reduce risk. In my home the home security system is always on. This means whether home or not, any unlawful intrusion is met with a piecing alarm and an automatic call to the police.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing  home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show.