Entries by Robert Siciliano

The Decades Top 6 Stupid Criminals

The decade was filled with stupid criminals.  Here is a list of the top six stupid criminals. Lawn Mower Getaway: AOL reports Sheriff’s deputies in Florida were searching a house for stolen property when they got a tip that one of the suspects was trying to make his escape nearby, according to TampaBay.com. Officers reportedly…

Montana Town Sees Significant Rise in Identity Theft

Montana is “Big Sky Country.”  With guns, beer, fishing rods, and meat are sold at gas stations, some argue that it should be called the “Don’t Mess With Me” state.  Butte, MT had Evel Knievel, and he was one tough cookie. And Butte, like many cities and towns across the country, is facing an identity…

Data Leakage is a Correctable and Solvable Problem

WNYT.com reports “the Social Security Administration in New York City says that 15,000 Social Security numbers were stolen by a subcontractor who was working in Office of Temporary Disability Assistance making computer infrastructure upgrades.” In this case the culprit is a subcontractor and succeeded either because he had the contractor’s credentials/passwords and/or the files containing…

5 Ways to Update Your PC for the New Year

Out with the old and in with the new. In my household, closets, cabinets, and drawers are purged and reorganized during the last two weeks of December. Anything that hasn’t been used in the past year, is tossed, donated, or recycled. I rarely put anything into storage, since that generally means I’ll never use it…

10 Considerations When Choosing a Home Security System

1.    Do some research. What is the installer’s reputation and history?  How large is the company?  How many current customers?  Is it local or nationwide?  Is their primary business security? 2.    How “new” is the home security product? Today’s home security systems are far more superior than those available in past years. 3.    Does the…

2010 Saw Dramatic Rise In Home Invasions

Maybe it’s the economy or maybe people are just getting nuttier, but my news alerts have been pouring in describing horrific home-invasions with many resulting in growing levels of violence. In some places, there is a correlation between home invasions and organized crime, drugs, prostitution and gambling. In Calgary, our neighbor to the north, the…

10 Security Tips For Holiday Shopping

1. During the holidays, criminals engage in “black-hat SEO,” wherein they create fake websites and then use the same techniques as legitimate online businesses regarding search engine optimization, marketing, and online advertising via Google AdWords. They use keywords to boost rankings on Internet searches, causing their spoofed websites to appear alongside legitimate websites. These same…

Traveling for the Holidays? Get The “My TSA” iPhone App

Each holiday season, the TSA prepares its workforce of 50,000 transportation security officers to provide a smooth experience for holiday travelers. Since this is the busiest travel time of the year, the TSA is reminding passengers of the security procedures in place, so you know what to expect before leaving home. Children: The TSA has…