Entries by Robert Siciliano

What Threats Are Unique To My Mobile Device?

Imagine your body being targeted by 75 million viruses. That is exactly what’s happening to your digital devices and mobile devices are being targeted like never before. Mobile smartphone and tablets are being targeted in record numbers. Android has become the most popular platform for new malware, and in McAfee’s Second Quarter Threats Report, was targeted exclusively by…

Dating Extortion Scams On The Rise

The Internet Crime Complaint Center has recently received reports regarding a scam that baits individuals into intimate online conversations and then extorting them for financial gain. The scam was initiated after the victims met someone online, such as on a dating site, and were asked to connect via a specific online social network. Shortly after,…

What Makes My Passwords Vulnerable?

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. Most people aren’t aware of the numerous com­mon techniques for cracking passwords: Dictionary attacks: There are free online tools that make password…

City Bank Account Hacked for 400K

KOMO reports “The city of Burlington (Washington) is warning its employees to check their bank accounts after finding out funds have been stolen. They believe computer hackers got access to the city bank account, which is used as a direct deposit to pay workers. It is unknown how much money was taken, but more than…

Identity Theft Crime Ring Leader Gets 25 Years

The leader of a crime ring was sentenced to 25 years in state prison for stealing thousands of personal identities and counterfeiting credit cards to buy high-end goods to be resold on eBay and Craigslist. Christopher John Aragon, 52, Capistrano Beach, pleaded guilty March 26, 2012, to 50 felony counts including 33 counts of unauthorized…

Hackers: The Good, The Bad and The Money

The term Hacker was made popular by Steven Levy in his book “Hackers: Heroes Of The Computer The Revolution” published in 1984 was about those brilliant and eccentric nerds from the late 1950s through the early ’80s who took risks, bent the rules, and pushed the world in a radical new direction.   In the…

The Seedy Site of Web Searches

Ever seek out information online and end up somewhere you never meant to go? I’m not talking about some website that didn’t have what you were looking for, I’m talking about a website that you REALLY didn’t want to go to or would never go to. This is the dark side of the Net. Think…

Bieber Fever Results In Fraudulent Ticket Sales

Bieber Fever is a sickness that has recently become more common, where a kid is extremely obsessed with Justin Bieber, and everything related to him. The act, or disease is most commonly found in girls, but occasionally a guy or two. Example: Girl- Dude omgomgomgomgomg i loooooove Justin Bieber he doesn’t know it yet but…