15 Home Safety and Security Tips

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There’s always a perfect time to assess your home’s safety and security. Do you employ all of the following practices?1H

  1. Make sure your house’s roofing is fire resistant. If not, get it remodeled.
  2. Not only should you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, but you should also regularly inspect them for lint and dust buildup. Plus, they should all be integrated, so if one goes off in the kitchen, the ones in the bedrooms and even basement get triggered.
  3. If your mailbox isn’t one that locks, get one, so this way you won’t be leaving outgoing mail with sensitive information sitting in an unlocked box.
  4. If you need an extension cord for an outside appliance, make sure it’s one that says: “Suitable for Use with Outdoor Appliances.”
  5. Never leave any stickie notes on your door saying you’ll be back in a few minutes…even if you’re expecting a delivery.
  6. Know that if there’s a power outage, the food in your freezer will last for up to 48 hours. Have a backup generator or only stock up on dry/canned goods.
  7. When you’re done using an oily rag, set it outside to dry, then put it in a metal can with a lid. An oily rag is flammable even when not in contact with a flame.
  8. If a battery is non-rechargeable, don’t try to charge it, as this could make it explode.
  9. To repel an intruder from getting in through your windows, plant thorny bushes around them.
  10. If you have a home security system, display the company’s decals on your windows and signs in your yard. If you don’t have a system, you can get these items online; display them anyways.
  11. When you get a snowfall, clear a path to your door, and better yet, shovel the driveway—even if you’re not going anywhere, as this will make burglars think someone is home.
  12. Before leaving on any extended errands and especially travel, set your home phone’s ringer to mute so that an incessantly ringing phone doesn’t get a burglar’s attention that you’re not home.
  13. Before leaving town, put a vacation hold on your mail and newspaper, and tell a trusted adult of your travel plans.
  14. Before leaving for a trip, arrange with a trusted person to have them park their car in your driveway.
  15. While you’re enjoying your vacation, avoid posting about it on social media. Burglars peruse social media to see who’s not home.

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

Save Money with the Nighthawk 2-in-1 cable modem-router

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If you are like most people, there are several devices in your home that fight for WiFi connections at any given time. This slows your network, and gives you a shoddy experience. Instead, look into upgrading your system immediately and save some cash too.

NHThe Nighthawk is a 2-in-1 cable modem-router that not only saves power, it also saves space. This modem-router features a WiFi router with a DOCSIS® 3.0 cable modem, which supports most data plans from major U.S. Internet providers.

This is a modem with serious power and benefits. The cable company issued modem is rent-able for anywhere from $5 to $10 a month depending on the policy of the provider. That adds up fast. Cutting these fees saves you a lot of money, as rental fees can range from $60 to $120 a year for only one piece of equipment, not to mention, two. The other worrisome issue is that most of the equipment from an ISP has low speeds and/or quality. The Nighthawk 2-in-1 changes this, however.

The features of the Nighthawk 2-in-1 include:

  • A retail price of about $280, which means it pays for itself in a bit more than two years.
  • More money savings each month when compared to other modem-routers.
  • WiFi speeds of up to 1.9Gbps and modem speeds of up to 960Mbps.
  • Compatibility with Google Fiber and other ultra-high speed equipment. Even if you don’t have these capabilities in your area now, they will likely come in the near future.

The Nighthawk also grows along with you and will help to keep your network-setup in top form. In tests performed with the Nighthawk, speeds reached 315Mbps, even though some wired equipment tops out at about 300Mbps. The unit we tested was for Comcast XFINITY, and it is only compatible with this ISP.

As Internet speeds increase, more customers will need a DOCSIS 3.0 compatible modem-router to take advantage of the speed. The Nighthawk does not disappoint in this area at all, and the features were as advertised. We were able to test these speeds when our entire team was working, and on an average day, we would test out at Comcast’s busiest time. It was perfect at work, and we would imagine that it would be just as perfect at home, too.

One of my favorite software packages for the Nighthawk and most Netgear routers is their Genie software. Anyone can use it, and it is easy and simple to use for anyone. This is an excellent 2-in-1 combination software that you can use to control all of your devices, and is custom-made for both the router and modem. You can even use the Netgear Genie on a laptop or smart phone thanks to a downloadable app, which allows you to make changes, reset your system or simply check on how it is running.

If you are looking for a good investment, a modem-router is a good financial choice. This is especially a good decision if currently paying rental fees. You are already paying for your Internet connection, so why not make the investment into it in order to get the best experience possible?

Though there are several 2-in-1 modem-routers on the market, the Nighthawk is certainly my favorite. It is consistent, can be upgraded, and with the addition of Genie software, customizing and troubleshooting are a breeze.

Robert Siciliano is a personal privacy, security and identity theft expert. See him discussing identity theft prevention. Disclosures.

15 Tips to Keep Your Home Safe During the Holiday Season

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Most people don’t like that “fall back” time change every November, but you know who does? Burglars. Burglars love to “fall back” because it gives them more time to practice their criminal activities thanks to the earlier veil of darkness. This is also a convenient time for them as the holiday season is upon us and most people have a lot of newly purchased gifts in our homes. Perfect bait for burglars.

2BIn general, most homeowners will take precautions around Christmas time to prevent fires due to Christmas lights, yet they do not take extra security measures to prevent home robbery. Though fire prevention is certainly important, your home is far more likely to attract the eyes of a burglar than to go up in flames. So, here are 15 ways that you can keep the burglars away:

  1. Keep doors locked at all times. This is true even when you are home, and even when it’s light out.
  2. Keep your windows locked, even those on the second floor. Burglars DO have climbing skills.
  3. Use door reinforcements and top-flight locks.
  4. Keep the curtains and blinds closed. This will ensure that no one can take a peek at your valuables.
  5. Install security films on the windows. These help to prevent the penetration of objects such as a baseball bat or crow bar.
  6. Give your home a “lived-in” look with a home automation technology system. Many of these can be controlled by a model device or scheduled to turn lights on or off at a specific time.
  7. Collect your newspaper and mail as soon as they arrive.
  8. Place a large pair of men’s work boots near the door, and make sure they are scuffed up to make them look worn.
  9. Put a large dog bowl near the entryways of the home, but make sure it looks realistic. Do this by adding a chewed up toy or large leash to the scene.
  10. Make sure there is no shrubbery crowding entry points of the home.
  11. Go to Google news, and type in the phrase “door kicked in” along with your city and state. You will be shocked by the results. To protect yourself, consider a device such as Door Devil, which is a high-level door reinforcement device.
  12. If you have a garage, make sure you are packing and unpacking gifts from the car inside of the garage so no one can see what you purchased.
  13. Don’t advertise your Christmas gift purchases on social media, as many thieves use social media to find potential victims.
  14. Make an investment into a home security system. The best systems provide a clear view of what is happening in the home on your mobile device when you are not there.
  15. If you have a car parked out in the drive, place a pair of men’s gloves on the dash. Most burglars will think twice if they believe there is a large man living in the home.

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

8 Ways to Ensure Safe and Secure Online Shopping this Holiday Season

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So, who’s on your holiday gift list this year? That list is a lot longer than you think; consider all the names of hackers that have not yet appeared on it. Scammers will do whatever it takes to get on your holiday gift list! Here’s how to keep these cyber thieves out of your pocket:

  • Before purchasing from a small online merchant, see what the Better Business Bureau says and also search Google for reviews.
  • If you see an unexpected e-mail allegedly from a retailer you shop at, don’t open it. Scammers send out millions of trick e-mails that appear to be from major retailers. They hope to trick gullible shoppers into clicking on them and revealing sensitive information. So many of these scam e-mails get sent out that it’s common for someone to receive one that appears to be from a store they very recently purchased from.
  • When shopping online at a coffee house or other public spot, sit with your back to a wall so that “visual hackers” don’t spy over your shoulder. Better yet, avoid using public Wi-Fi for online shopping.
  • Back up your data. When shopping online it’s highly probable you’ll stumble upon an infected website designed to inject malicious code on your device. Malware called “ransomware” will hold your data hostage. Backing up your data in the cloud to Carbonite protects you from having to pay the ransom.
  • Save all your financial, banking and other sensitive online transactions for when you’re at home to avoid unsecure public Wi-Fi networks.
  • Change all of your passwords to increase your protection should a retailer you shop at fall victim to a data breach. Every account of yours should have a different and very unique password.
  • Ditch the debit card; a thief could drain your bank account in seconds. Use only credit cards. Why? If a fraudster gets your number and you claim the unauthorized purchase within 60 days, you’ll get reimbursed.
  • Review your credit card statements monthly and carefully. Investigate even tiny unauthorized charges, since thieves often start out small to “test the waters.”

Robert Siciliano is an expert in personal privacy, security and identity theft. Learn more about Carbonite Personal plans. See him discussing identity theft prevention. Disclosures.

How to pwn Anyone

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Define Pwn: Pwn is a slang term derived from the verb own, as meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. The term implies domination or humiliation of a rival. And when it’s done by hacking email, the person is effectively pwned. No matter how “private” you are on the Internet, no matter how infrequently you post on your Facebook page—even if you don’t have a Facebook account—your life can be hacked into as long as you own just one password—and the ability to be tricked.

11DSuch was the case of Patsy Walsh, reports an article at bits.blogs.nytimes.com. She gave a few white hat hackers permission to try to hack into her life, and they accomplished this in under two hours, without even entering her house. She figured it would be next to impossible because she had no smart gadgets in the home and rarely posted on her Facebook page.

The “ethical” hackers, part of a security start-up, quickly found Walsh’s Facebook page (which presumably contained personal information such as her town, since there’s many “Patsy Walsh” accounts).

The scarcely posted-to account, however, revealed that she had liked a particular webpage. Based on that information, the hackers phished her and she took the bait, giving up a password, which happened to be for many of her accounts.

The good guy hackers were then invited into her home where they easily obtained her garage door opener code with the brute force attack, but even scarier, cracked into her DirecTV service because it didn’t have a password. Such a breach means that the hacker could control the TV remotely: Running a porn movie while the homeowner’s grandmother is visiting.

They also found Walsh’s passwords tacked onto her computer’s router. The exposed passwords allowed them to get into Walsh’s and her daughter’s e-mail accounts. From that point they got ahold of Walsh’s Social Security number, PayPal account, insurance information and power of attorney form.

She was probably thinking, “Well of course! They’re professional hackers and I let them inside!” But the hackers also discovered that there were about 20 malicious programs running on her computer. Their recommendations to Walsh:

  • New garage door opener
  • Password for DirecTV
  • Password manager to create unique passwords for all of her accounts
  • Security software always kept updated
  • Two-step authentication when offered
  • A nice lecture on phishing attacks

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

What’s in a Bugout Bag

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There’s a name for the survival sack that you take with you outdoors in the event of survival emergency: bugout bag.

1MLet’s start with the key components to net a three-day survival:

  • Water: one liter per person per day
  • Food: “energy bars” or backpack meals
  • Small pot or large cup (though if you have only energy bars plus iodine tablets, you won’t need to boil water for food or purification).
  • Clothes: sturdy footwear, long pants, two pairs non-cotton socks, two shirts, rainwear hooded jacket and rainwear pants, long underwear, wide-brimmed hat
  • Tarp or tent plus a ground tarp; sleeping bag
  • First aid kit (not necessarily a prepackaged one from the store; it may be better to build one; you’ll know exactly what’s in there, like tweezers to remove ticks).
  • Poncho
  • Fire starters
  • Survival knife (find the one that suits you best)
  • Small mirror (in case something gets in your eye, but also to reflect the sun to get the attention of rescue aircraft)
  • Two flashlights and backup batteries
  • Weapon (the knife may suffice, but you probably won’t be too confident with only a knife to fend off a bear, so better have pepper spray on hand) If you are a gun person, please be properly trained.
  • Baby wipes. Hygiene is as important as nutrition.
  • Sunglasses and sunscreen (imagine the sunburn three days out in the sun, even during winter; snow reflects sun from a clear sky like mad).
  • GPS or some kind of beacon to help find you if you get lost.
  • Paracord. Google it.

There are so many more things that can be added to the bug-out bag, but remember, this list refers to three days’ worth of survival. Obviously, if you want to pack the bag for seven days, you’d want to include more things. These additional items may be anything from a map and compass to a snake-bite kit.

Small plastic bags and long shoelaces are also invaluable, as they can be used to trap water moisture from non-poisonous vegetation branches and condense it over several hours, filling the bag with enough to drink from.

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

Phishing works and here’s why

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A phishing e-mail is sent by a cyberthief to trick its recipient into revealing sensitive information so that the crook could steal money from the recipient or gain access to a business’s classified information. One way to lure an employee is for the crook to make the e-mail appear like it was sent by the company’s CEO. Often, phishing e-mails have urgent subject lines like “Your Chase Bank Balance Is Negative.”

PSHIn its 2015 Data Breach Report, Verizon reported that 23 percent of employees open their phishing e-mails. Eleven percent go further by clicking on something they shouldn’t.

Why do so many employees (and mainstream users) fail to recognize a phishing e-mail? Strong security awareness training at companies is lacking. Perhaps the company simply tosses a few hardcopy instructions to employees. Perching them before videos isn’t enough, either.

Security awareness training needs to also include staged phishing attacks to see which employees grab the bait and why they did so. With a simulated phishing attack approach, employees will have a much better chance of retaining anything they’ve learned. It’s like teaching a kid to hit a homerun; they won’t learn much if all they do is read instructions and watch videos. They need to swing at balls coming at them.

The return on investment from staged phishing attacks will more than offset the cost of this extra training. Living the experience has proven to be a far more effective teacher than merely reading about it or listening to a lecture. As straightforward as this sounds, this approach is not the rule in companies; it’s the exception.

Even rarer is when phishing simulation is ongoing rather than just an annual or semiannual course. But just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it’s not that effective. Companies tend to cut corners any way they can, and foregoing the phishing simulations is often at the top of the list of investments to nickel-and-dime.

If you want to see how gullible your employees (or family and friends) are to phishing e-mails, which again, are geared towards tricking the recipients to click on a malicious link or attachment, pay a visit to Phish.io.

Here you can register, and this free service will send phishing e-mails to your specified recipients. However, these are harmless tests and will not lead to anything negative—other than to reveal who can be duped.

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

Is that Viral Story real?

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The Internet has almost as many videos as there are stars in the heavens. And you know that some have to be hoaxes. Sometimes it’s obvious, while other times it’s easy to be fooled. For example, the hoax of the “angel” intercepting a truck just about to run over a bicyclist is obviously fake. Isn’t it?

1DBut what about the video of the man cut in half by a bus while riding a bicycle, lying on the ground, staring at his intestines, talking for a full five minutes, while his pelvis and legs lie catty-corner to him? That video looks eerily real.

And so did the enormously viral one of the Syrian refugees holding the ISIS flags and assaulting German police officers.

There are free, non-techy ways to check if a video or image is a fake, from an article at gizmodo.com:

“Reverse Image”

Simply right-click an image, and a selection box will appear. Click “Search Google for this image.” Different sources for the same image will appear, but this won’t necessarily rule out a hoax.

For example, multiple links to the man cut in half appear, and the dates of postings differ, but there’s no way to rule out a hoax based on just this information.

However, suppose there’s a photo of a female ghost crashing a funeral photo. A reverse image search shows that ghost’s face as identical to the image of a mommy blogger on her blog; it’s safe to assume the ghost image is a hoax (aren’t they all?).

YouTube DataViewer

Go to YouTube DataViewer. Plug in the suspect video’s URL. Any associated thumbnail image plus upload time will be extracted. You now can find the earliest upload and see if anything is suspicious. Alongside that you can do a reverse image on the thumbnails and see what you get.

FotoForensics

FotoForensics can detect photoshopping or digital manipulation. If you want to pursue a video, you’ll need to plug in the URL of a still shot, like the ones you see after a video has ended that clutter up the video space. FotoForensics uses a tool called ELA, and you’ll have to do some reading on it before understanding how it works.

WolframAlpha

WolframAlpha can look at weather conditions at a certain time and location, such as “weather in Davie, Florida at (time) and (date). So if the weather in a suspect image with a date and location doesn’t match what Wolfram turns up, consider it a fake.

Jeffrey’s Exif Viewer

Images taken with smartphones and digital cameras contain tons of data called EXIF, including date, time and location of image shoot. See if the date, time and location don’t jive with what the suspect image conveys. Jeffrey’s Exif Viewer is one such EXIF reader.

Google Street View, Google Earth and Wikimapia are tools for mapping out the truth, such as matching up landmarks and landscapes.

So, did your ex really take a trip to Paris, as she stands there with the Eiffel Tower behind her? And is her new beau for real, or was he “shopped” in off of a male fitness model site?

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

Nineways to shop safely on Cyber Monday

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With Cyber Monday, you don’t have to camp outside in the cold overnight so you can be the first person busting through the doors like on Black Friday. But you still may get trampled to a pulpby cyber scammers waiting for their prey.

2DHow can you avoid these predators?

  • You know that old mantra: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Be highly suspicious of outrageously great deals, and also assume that e-mails that link to unbelievable savings are scams. You may think it won’t hurt to just “check it out,” but consider the possibility that simply clicking on the link will download a virus to your computer.
  • Back up your data. Shopping online means it’s inevitable that you’ll stumble upon an infected website designed to inject malicious code into your computer or phone. “Ransomware” will hold your data hostage. Backing up your data in the cloud to Carbonite protects you from having to pay the “ransom.”
  • Say “No” to debit cards. At least if you purchase with a credit card, and the sale turns out to be fraudulent, the credit card company will likely reimburse you. Try getting your money back from a scam with a debit card purchase. Good luck.
  • If you’re leery about using a credit card online, see if the issuer offers a one-time use credit card. If someone steals this one-time number, it’s worthless for a second purchase.
  • Make sure you understand the online merchant’s shipping options.
  • When buying online, read up on the retailer’s privacy policy.
  • When completing the purchase, if the merchant wants you to fill in information that makes you think, “Now why do they need to know that?” this is a red flag. See if you can purchase the item from a reputable merchant.
  • Never shop online using public Wi-Fi such as at a hotel, coffee house or airport.

If the retailer’s URL begins with “https” and has a padlock symbol before that, this means the site uses encryption (it’s secure). If it doesn’t, don’t buy from that merchant if the product is something you can buy from a secure site. Of course, I don’t expect, for instance, Veronikka’s Death by Chocolate Homemade Cookies to have an encrypted site, but if you’re looking for more common merchandise, go with the big-name retailers.

Robert Siciliano is an expert in personal privacy, security and identity theft. Learn more about Carbonite Personal plans. See him discussing identity theft prevention. Disclosures.

How to store Water for Survival

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What do you really know about water storage? Below you’ll find information that you probably never even thought of before, or information that contradicts what you’ve always believed to be correct.

1MStorage barrels. These can remain on cellar or basement cement that’s not heated. Cooler cement will not transfer toxins into the barrels. However, garage cement will get heated by the driveway, so in that case, place barrels on floor boards. In addition, some of your water should be stored in portable bottles for easier handling.

Reusing bottles. Filling old juice and soda bottles with water is fine as long as the plastic is rated “PET” or “PETE.” Don’t use milk jugs. If you’re still concerned about leached plastic chemicals, treat the water at the time of consumption, not before you store it.

Boiling (212 degrees). A full boil is not necessary to kill bacteria; heating at 160 degrees for 30 minutes, or 185 degrees for three minutes, will burn less fuel than boiling for the popular 10 minutes.

Pool water. The FDA says pool water is safe to drink up to 4 PPM of chlorine.

Nearby river. Make sure you have iodine tablets ready. Keep in mind during a water shortage, the river will be bedlam, what with everyone else going for it.

Amount stored. Don’t just store a month’s worth. A disaster could cause a year-long or even several-year water shortage.

How much water does one person need? One gallon a day. But this includes for hygiene and cooking, and unforeseen medical needs.

Food vs. water. Though food has calories and water has zero, water is much more important to the body. A few days without any water and you’ll be dragging yourself on the ground, whereas a few days without food, but with plenty of water, and you’ll still be in good shape. And sports drinks and soda do not replace water.

Taste. Stored water will taste bad because it’s been without oxygen. Before drinking, pour it back and forth between two glasses to replenish oxygen.

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