Entries by Robert Siciliano

Prepare now for device and data theft

Digital device theft is a big problem. I’ve seen numerous stories about iPhones being stolen right from a person’s hand while the user was talking on it. Others have reported sitting in a coffee shop while having a conversation and having someone walk in, see the person’s iPad, swipe it, and before anyone can get…

Passwords: Fingerprint, heartbeat or brainwaves?

There is no such thing as a truly secure password; there are only more secure or less secure passwords. Passwords are currently the most convenient and effective way to control access to your accounts. But passwords are a mess. We have too many; sometimes they are all the same, which makes it easier for a…

10 Holiday Security Tips

Christmas trees, mistletoe, candy canes, turkey and stuffing bring out scammers, phishers, burglars and identity thieves. I’m not purposefully trying to be a Grinch here, but I’m just reminding you that good times, unfortunately, bring out the worst in bad people. This time of the year is prime season for criminals to seek out victims…

High-tech vs. Low-tech Locks

High technology doesn’t necessarily mean better, stronger or faster. It does usually mean more convenient, as the word technology is defined as “including the use of materials, tools, techniques, and sources of power to make life easier or more pleasant and work more productive.” This is the opposite of low-tech, which is essentially utilizing equipment…

Why mobile security is a must

Smartphone use continues to increase. More than one third of Americans have dropped landlines and only use mobiles. It is very possible that within the next 10 years, the landline will be obsolete and we will all be wireless. And when there’s a major transition in technology, the newness of it all creates a perfect…

Hackproof your facebook account

With over one billion people connected to Facebook, we have to assume that many of them are criminals. (Criminals are people with friends too!) But the criminals we need to be concerned about are the ones who create all kinds of scams designed to do everything from getting us to open our wallets to clicking…

12 biggest home security mistakes

We all make mistakes; the key is to make them once or twice and learn from them. If you keep making them, bad things happen—and home security mistakes are not ones you want to repeat. Here are a dozen mistakes that you don’t want to make even the first time. Cheap locks. It’s easy to…

Socint: disseminating cybercrime through social intelligence

People talk—A LOT. They can’t stop talking. Talking, getting something off your mind and out there feels good. Talking takes the pressure off one’s mind; our mouths are like relief valves for our heads. The problem has always been that people blurt out whatever is on their mind and say things that often get them…