Deadbolt, gotta gotta have It

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Deadbolts aren’t hyped up; they really are superior to regular knob locks. Though we keep shaking our head in amazement whenever yet another news story comes out about a burglar or rapist who waltzed through an unlocked door and committed mayhem, it remains a hard fact that many criminals gain entry via physical force.

1BYes, what you see in movies and TV shows is true: People CAN kick open a locked door—that’s either missing a deadbolt, has a faulty one or simply because a door jamb itself is just half inch pine. In that case, door reinforcement technologies are needed. Read on.

Nearly 60 percent of burglaries are forced-entry. Many occur during the day. Face it; at a minimum, you need a deadbolt. It can be either single-cylinder or double-cylinder (check the legality regarding doubles).

The door jamb will have a hole for the bolt to extend fully into—partially isn’t good enough. A metal strike plate should reinforce the hole. If both of these factors are not in place, an intruder can force open the door.

In addition, the strike plate should be fastened into the studs of the door frame with three-inch screws.

Finally…the deadbolt needs to be USED. It’s easier to always ensure this if you have a single-cylinder because it requires just a turn of its knob (from the inside). The double-cylinder requires a key from the inside—in place of that little knob. So every time you come home and lock the deadbolt, you’ll need a key. Every time you want to step outside…you’ll need a key to unlock it. Double deadbolts are a little dangerous too due to fires as well. So not recommended.

However, if you have the single-cylinder, and your door is right beside a window, an intruder could smash through the window and reach in and turn the knob of the single-cylinder, unlocking it.

Door Security

  • If you don’t want the hassle of a double-cylinder, consider replacing the door so that windows aren’t close enough to it for an intruder’s arm to reach through.
  • The decision isn’t whether or not to get a deadbolt; it’s what type of deadbolt and door…because it can’t be said enough: A door with only a regular lock can easily be kicked in—by a slight woman—because the standard lock involves a few little screws, one or two little strike plates and a thin pine wood door frame with thin molding.
  • However, this thin wood can be empowered by the Door Devil Anti Kick Door Jam Security Kit. It’s a four-foot-long bar of steel that’s one-sixteenth-inch thick. It gets installed on the center of the door jamb, over the little strike plates. An intruder must get past this; fat chance, because four feet of the door frame will absorb the intruder’s attempted force.
  • The Door Devil’s thick screws are three and a half inches long, and when placed into the 2 x 4 studs (also part of the kit) behind the frame, reinforce the door hinges.
  • You might be thinking, if an intruder is determined enough, he’ll keep kicking till the door busts. What do you think an intruder is, a kickboxing instructor? If he can’t dismantle the door after two, maybe even one, kick, he’ll move on to the next house.
  • Of course, he might not want to even try to kick down your door if he notices a surveillance camera above it—after the motion detector light beams onto him.

Robert Siciliano is a home and personal security expert to DoorDevil.com discussing Anti-Kick door reinforcement on YouTube. Disclosures.

10 Ways to protect Yourself while traveling

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Some thieves specialize in hanging around tourist spots to spot the tourists and make them victims of hands-on crime such as purse snatching or a mugging. But don’t wait till you’re aimlessly wandering the piazza with your face buried in a huge map to take precautions against less violent forms of crime.
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  1. Before traveling, make copies of your driver’s license, medical insurance card, etc., and give these to a trusted adult. Have another set of copies in your home. Scan them and email to yourself.
  2. Never post your travel plans on social media until you return. You never know who’s reading about you.
  3. Before departing from home, make sure your credit card company and bank know of your travel plans.
  4. Clear your smartphone or other device of personal data that’s not essential for your trip.
  5. Travel on a light wallet. Take two credit cards with you in case one is lost or stolen. Have with you the phone numbers for your bank and credit card company, just in case.
  6. Avoid using Wi-Fi in coffee houses, airports and other public areas other than to just read celebrity gossip or catch the news. Use a VPN. Google it.
  7. When traveling internationally, read up on the safety of food and water and get whatever shots you may need.
  8. Never give your credit card number to the hotel staff (or at least, anyone identifying themselves as hotel staff) over the phone in your hotel room. The call could be coming from a thief posing as hotel staff telling you they need your number again.
  9. Never leave anything out in your hotel room that reveals personal information, such as a credit card receipt, passport, checkbook, medical insurance card, etc. If the room does not have a safe, then have these items on you at all times.
  10. Use only an ATM that’s inside a bank, never a free-standing one outdoors somewhere. Cover the keypad with your other hand as you enter the PIN to thwart ATM skimmers.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Are you Mentally Prepared for a Predator

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A bear in the wild that wants to protect its young from another predator isn’t worried about manners. This is how people should feel when in circumstances that don’t feel right. The bear has a gut instinct not to let its young near a predator.

A woman who feels funny about getting into an elevator with a creepy looking man should have this same instinct. But often, she lets analysis take over: She steps inside an enclosed box with a stranger who makes her feel uneasy.

She fears he’ll think she’s rude if she waits for the next elevator. She may have the grandest home security system in the world, but one slip in judgment could cost her her life: Inside that box, the man strangles her.

A predator can sense when a woman is more concerned about his perception of her than of her safety. But men, too, make mistakes, like the man who gives a ride to a man he’s meeting for the first time at a country road gas station late at night. The stranger could be dangerous. And if he’s innocent? Well, so he doesn’t get a ride this time. He’ll live.

But predators are just everywhere. And some are female. It’s amazing that some people will go all out in securing their home and sports car…but when it comes to the safety of their person…they’re incredibly lax.

People need to employ layered security: like going out in the cold; you don’t just wear gloves. You also wear a hat, scarf, wool socks, maybe thermal underwear, a sweater, a coat.

Conversely, there’s the MMA champion who has no home security system. A lot of good his hook kicks will do when he’s not home while the intruder breaks in. A solid home security system has motion detectors, a loud alarm, timed lighting fixtures, an advanced lock system on all the doors and an anti-penetration system on the windows.

As for your person? Are you a good screamer? We are told to scream when attacked. But there’s a difference between hollering “Fire! Fire” when being abducted (“Fire!” is supposed to get everyone’s attention), and screaming “No” or “Stop” or even profanities. These are control words that are far better at getting control.

Many people want to lose weight. Kill two birds with one stone by taking up martial arts: Lose weight, tone up and learn to be productive in a threatening situation.

Put the pink dumbbells down and pick up a heavy barbell—even if you must struggle, because that struggle will prepare you to survive a crisis situation. Men aren’t off the hook from preparing for survival. Put down the cigarette and pick up a barbell to put some muscle on that body. You never know when you’ll one day need it.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

How to build up or rebuild your Credit

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After taking all the necessary steps to Fixing a Credit Report after being hacked, it is then tome to rebuild your credit. Bad credit is bad credit no matter how it happens. No matter how responsible you are with your money, you won’t get a loan if there’s no evidence of this. The evidence comes from having credit. You need to show lenders you can be trusted.12D

  • Every time you apply for a credit card, this puts a dent in your credit score. In other words, it can negatively affect your scores especially if there are lots of credit checks in a short period of time. So apply with a lot of discretion; do you really need that extra charge card? Or is it worth it to continually cancel accounts and open new accounts while playing the interest/points game?
  • Get a major credit card. A charge card is an opportunity to show that you will pay back, on time, money that you “borrowed.” A debit card for this purpose is meaningless because it withdraws money from your account on the spot.
  • An option is a type of credit card that requires a security deposit. Payment of your bills will not come from this security deposit. But it looks good to a potential lender, making you seem more trustworthy.
  • Charge things like gas, food and other items, and/or put a monthly bill on the card for automatic payments such as your cable bill, then pay the card on time every single time—ideally the entire balance. This will create a record of your trustworthiness.
  • Charge no more than 50 percent of the card’s limit in any given month, even if you CAN pay the whole thing off every month. Exceeding 50 percent, some say, can adversely affect your credit score.
  • A rule of thumb is to charge only what you’d be able to pay in cold cash every month. Just because your card has a $5,000 limit doesn’t mean you should rack up $4,500 worth of purchases in one billing cycle.
  • Use the card every month; don’t let it go dormant, as this is not impressive to a lender. If you’re having a tough time remembering to charge things like new shoes, food, drug store items, etc., then set it up for automatic draft of a monthly service.
  • Even ONE late payment will screw things up. Remember, charge only what you’d be able to pay for in cash each month. If you can’t, don’t charge it.
  • If YOU check your credit report any time; it won’t dent your credit score. When lots of creditors check your credit, that can affect your scores.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247. Disclosures.

How your Brain is affected by Phishing Scams

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A recent study says that people are more mindful of online safety issues than what experts had previously believed. An article on phys.org says that Nitesh Saxena, PhD, wanted to know what goes on in users’ brains when they come upon malicious websites or malware warnings.

13DSaxena points out that past studies indicated that users’ minds are pretty much blank when it comes to malware signs. Saxena and colleagues used brain imaging (functional MRI) for their study.

Study subjects were asked to tell the authentic login pages of popular websites from phony replications. A second task for them was to differentiate between harmless pop-ups while they read some news articles and pop-ups with malware warnings.

The fMRI showed brain activity as it corresponded to the users’ online activity: attention, making decisions, solving problems. The images lit up for both tasks, but of course, fMRI can’t tell if the user is making the right decision.

That aside, the results were that the users were accurate 89 percent of the time with the malware warning task. When users were met with malware warnings, the language comprehension area of the brain lit up. Saxena states in the phys.org article, “Warnings trigger some sort of thought process in people’s brains that there is something unusual going on.”

The accuracy rate of telling an authentic website from a phony one was just 60 percent. Saxena believes this might be because users don’t know what to look for. For instance, they don’t know to look at the URL, which can give away the phoniness.

This study also had the participants complete a personality evaluation to measure impulsiveness. The fMRI images revealed differences based on impulsivity. Saxena says there was a “negative correlation” between brain activity and impulsive behavior. The impulsive user is prone to hastily clicking “yes” to proceed, when a malware warning pops up.

There was less brain activity in the key cerebral areas of decision-making in the users who had greater degrees of impulsivity.

This study has potential applications for the improved design of malware warning systems. These results can also assist company managers by identifying impulsive workers who need stronger online security training.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.

How to Spot a Splog

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I really enjoy reading blogs. And since you are here, reading my blog post, I’m guessing you do too. Blogs are a great way of gaining information and learning about different perspectives on a wide variety of topics. Unfortunately, spammers have tainted this medium with splogs.

7WThe word splog is a combination of the words spam and blog (from my perspective, it could easily be called  blam as well). And that’s exactly what it is, a blog full of spam.  Splogs are blogs that usually have plagiarized content and have a ton of banner ads and hyperlinks. Splogs also can have repetitive content—basically the same article but using different targeted keywords each time since the main goal of a splog is to direct to you sites the scammer wants you to visit

Spammers use search engine optimization (SEO), also known as manipulating a website’s page ranking on a search engine, to attract innocent visitors to the splog. To increase page ranking, splogs will use content filled with phrases or key words that get ranked high in search results.  That way, when you are searching for a particular search term, the splog will appear on the first few pages of search results.

Spammers primarily use splogs for two reasons. First and foremost, they use splogs to make money. The splogs have ads that link to partner websites and when you click on one of those ads, the spammer gets paid by the partner for directing you to the site. The second reason is more malicious. Scammers will use a splog to direct you to their fake site that is used to capture your personal information such as your credit card, email, or phone number or download  Once they have your personal information, they can use sell your information or generate phishing attacks to get money from you. Or if they automatically download malware to your device, they could be using the malware to find out more information or hold your device hostage.

Because blogs are relatively easy to create, it doesn’t take that much time to create hundreds and thousands of splogs, especially since the scammers aren’t creating original content and are often duplicating the same content. These splogs are then crawled by the search engines, thus appearing in search results for you to click on and making it harder for you to find the actual information you are searching for online.

Splogs are annoying and can get in the way of your web experience. Here is how you can spot a splog:

  • Splog posts are usually 50 to 100 words long and riddled with hyperlinks. Also, there might be hundreds of posts a month; you can check this by looking at the blog archive.
  • The URLs are unusually long and include keywords for SEO purposes.
  • They often use the domain (URL suffix) of .info rather than the widely used .com because those domains are cheaper. So if you see a blog.sample.info you should proceed with caution.

Don’t let a splog fool you. Share these tips with your friends and family. As  less people visit these sites and click on advertisements, spammers will be less likely to use this growing spam technique.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.

What is a Rootkit?

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A rootkit is a kind of software that conceals malware from standard detection methods. A good analogy for a rootkit would be a burglar breaking into your house. The burglar is dressed all in black, so that his form blends into the darkness. He tiptoes around to hide his sounds so he’s more likely to go undetected as he steals your belongings. But unlike the burglar, who usually takes your stuff and leaves, an efficient rootkit can stick around for years doing its work, robbing your computer or mobile device of data.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-identity-theft-red-words-binary-code-computer-monitor-image39907813How do you get a rootkit? One way is via a , or a malicious file that looks benign, like a plug-in that you download or an opening an email attachment. Rootkits can also be spread through infected mobile apps.

Once downloaded, a  rootkit will interfere with your device’s functions, including your security software. If you run a security scan, a rootkit will often prevent your security software from showing you this information so you’ll have no idea that malware is running on your device.

Because of this, it is difficult to detect a rootkit. Detection methods include looking for strange behavior on your device or scanning your device’s memory. If you do believe that you have a rootkit on your computer or mobile device, you can either reinstall your operating system (after backing up your data, of course) or use a rootkit removal tool like

  • Don’t open suspicious links or attachments. Although they might look harmless, they could have malware installed on them.
  • Keep your OS updated. Make sure that you install the latest updates for your operating system and any hardware updates that are available for your device as these often close up security holes.
  • Install comprehensive security software. Security software, like McAfee LiveSafe™ service, can safeguard your computer or mobile device from rootkits. Make sure to keep your software updated against new threats.

For more security tips and news, check out the Intel Security Facebook page or follow them on Twitter at @IntelSec_Home.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.

12 Home Security Mistakes We Make

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Smart criminals love dumb homeowners, but even a dumb burglar can score big when the homeowner makes just a little slip in security measures.3B

  1. Don’t nickel-and-dime your door locks; get high quality locks. A cheap lock is cheap.
  1. Don’t hide keys. Anyone knows to check under the flower pot or on top of the ledge above the door frame. Consider a keyless lock.
  1. Make sure valuables aren’t visible through windows—including those of your car.
  1. Flatten boxes that valuables came in like flat screen TVs so that you can then put them in large garbage bags, then put those out for trash pickup. Don’t tip off the bad guys what you have in your house.
  1. Imagine you’re a burglar…or rapist…on the prowl looking for an easy crime opportunity. You’re jiggling one doorknob after another in a neighborhood, knowing that sooner or later, you’ll find an unlocked door. Why oh why, then, would you try to break through a locked door? Homeowners need to see things from the perspective of the bad guy. LOCK YOUR DOORS! Stop making excuses: “I keep forgetting,” “It’s a hassle,” “I’m going in and out.”
  1. Keep your house alarm on—because some intruders will try to break through a locked door—or get in through a window. The second he penetrates, the alarm will emit a piercing sound that will instantly drive him away. But keep the alarm on even when you’re home. Yes, sociopaths think nothing of breaking in during the day.
  1. Keep your garage door locked at all times except during the seconds it’s in use.
  1. Used timed lighters inside and out so that your place is never dark.
  1. Don’t leave any ladders in the yard.
  1. Don’t post anything on social media that indicates you’re away from home.
  1. For when you’re away on trips, arrange for a vacation hold of your mail and newspaper deliveries.
  1. To increase an occupied-look to your house while you’re traveling, have a trusted person park his car in your driveway and mow your lawn (overgrowth suggests vacancy).

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Having the Privacy Talk with your Kids

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Years ago, having “the talk” with your kids meant telling them where babies come from. Nowadays, “the talk” has a whole new meaning. Your kids may be able to explain in detail how a baby is created, but may be clueless (because so many adults are) about something called “data permanence.”

2PDon’t beat around the bush. Tell your kid outright, “If you post any racy images of yourself online—it will be there for the next million years for anyone to see. And it can be used against you.” Give this same warning about comments your child might post to an article. Things that your kids put online can come back to bite them many years later when they’re applying for employment. Tell them that.

Of course, warning your adolescent that something they post could come back to haunt them 20 years from now might not have much of an impact on them—kind of like telling your kid—who has endless energy—that smoking could cause heart disease 20 years from now. So how can you get through to your kids?

  • The more open the lines of communication are between parent and child, the more likely your message will get through about data permanence. Don’t make communication one-sided.
  • When your kids ask you how things work, even if it’s not related to cyber space, never act annoyed. Never make them feel it was a silly question. Never show impatience or judgment. If you don’t know the answer to their techy question, say, “I don’t know; let’s find out.” Don’t fudge a half-baked answer in an attempt to sound smart. Admit when you don’t know an answer, then hunt it down.
  • If you think it’s time to have “the talk” with your child, it is.
  • There’s never a perfect time to have “the talk.” Stop putting it off. Stop saying, “I’ll have it when…” Just do it.
  • Emphasize that raunchy images or nasty comments can come back to bite them in the near For example, they might have a crush on someone in a few years. What if that person googles them? What might they find? Ask your child, “What would you like them NOT to discover?”
  • Don’t be all lecture. Get your child thinking and talking opportunities. Ask them open-ended questions, such as the example in the previous bullet point. Get their brain cells working.
  • The privacy talk should be a process, not an event. That is, it should be a work in progress, ongoing, rather than a single event.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.

Fixing a Credit Report after being hacked

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First off, how NOT to fix a hacked credit report: signing on with a service that promises to correct the problem in a jiffy—a “sounds too good to be true” advertisement. A company that claims they will 100% fix your bad credit by removing negative information from your credit report is a bit scammy. In fact, whatever a credit repair company CAN legally do, you yourself can do.

Tips to Know Ahead of Time3D

  • If a company takes action against you, you’re entitled to a free credit report if you request it within 60 days of being notified.
  • Experian, Equifax and TransUnion are required to provide you, free of charge, your credit report every year.
  • It’s free to question anything on your credit report.
  • Credit reporting agencies are required to investigate your disputes, if valid, within 30 days.

Credit Reporting Agency

  • Send the reporting company a document explaining your issues. Include copies of documents for evidence.
  • Your mailed packet (use certified mail) should include an itemized list of your disputes and associated details.
  • The agency will send your material to the entity that provided the information in question. This entity must investigate the issues, then provide feedback to the credit reporting agency, and that includes corrections in your report if it’s deemed that the suspicious information was, in fact, inaccurate.
  • You will then hear back from the reporting agency: an updated report (free) and the results in writing. The agency will send a copy of the revised report, at your request, to anyone in the previous 24 months who had received the erroneous one.

Creditors

  • Inform them in writing of your dispute.
  • Include copies of all evidencing documents.

Repairing errors and getting rid of accurate but negative information are not the same thing. Time heals wounds; you’ll need to let time (usually seven years) completely get rid of the bad stuff.

Should you decide to use a credit repair company, know that it’s against the law for them to lie about their services or charge you before they’ve done their job. By law they must provide a contract explaining your rights and their services, plus many other details including total cost.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247. Disclosures.