Spring has arrived, and students are gearing up to head to warmer climes and tear it up on spring break. Coming from a dad who a) tore it up a bit at that age himself and b) lives and breathes safety/security, I have a few tips—from low tech to high tech– to keep teens and…
The word botnet or bot is short for robot network. A botnet is a group of Internet-connected personal computers that have been infected by a malicious application (malware) that allows a hacker to control the infected computers or mobile devices without the knowledge of the device owners. When malware is launched on your computer or…
Disclosure notices on websites, advertisements and in the terms of an agreement when making a product purchase are often complicated and confusing. Companies know this and take advantage of consumers, figuring potential purchasers don’t have the time, inclination or knowledge of the legalese that goes along with the fine print. Embedded deeply in the disclosure…
According to a report released by Javelin Strategy and Research and another by the FTC, the incidence of identity fraud increased in 2012 for the second consecutive year, affecting 5.26 percent of U.S. adults. This increase was driven by dramatic jumps in the two most severe fraud types, new account fraud (NAF) and account takeover…
All my life I’ve been hearing about Big Brother. For those unfamiliar with the term, coined by George Orwell in his 1949 masterpiece, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Big Brother is the embodiment of a society under complete surveillance by its government. But it’s not fiction; infact, our everyday activities are being monitored, today, right now, either by…
Are you guilty as charged? Whenever I bring this up in a group setting, it astonishes me how many people raise their hands. I wonder if they realize that they are putting all the personal information contained on their mobile device at risk. The unfortunate reality is that everyone loses things, and our devices can…
A report from Europol states that payment card fraud is a low-risk and highly profitable criminal activity that brings EU-based organized crime groups a yearly income of around 1.5 billion euros. These criminal assets can be invested in further developing criminal techniques, used to finance other criminal activities, or even facilitate the start-up of legal businesses. Payment…
Once you own a smartphone or tablet, you are not likely to give it up. But it is essential that you can understand where the risks are and steer around them as you enjoy your mobile digital life. With the growth in mobile exploding, it is only natural for cybercriminals to move towards that device…
A recent Wall StreetJournal article drew attention to the fact that, “Companies are watching you. They want to know where you go on the web, what you buy and what causes you support—with the hope of sending you targeted offers based on your preferences and lifestyle choices.” When browsing the internet, consumers without proper protection…
In unwanted credit card charges, the details are the fine print—and the fine print often results in devilish “grey charges.”Grey charges are those credit card charges that appear on your statement from out of the blue, charging us small or large fees—or sometimes a single charge—monthly or annually. The fine print can sometimes be expensive.…
