In the late 90s and early 2000s, hacking had evolved from “phreaking” (hacking phone systems) to “cracking” (breaking into networks). At the time, hackers hacked for fun, for the challenge, and for fame and popularity within the hacking community. But soon enough, the public began spending more time online, shopping, banking, and managing personal affairs.…
Check fraud is a billion dollar problem. Check fraud victims include banks, businesses and consumers. Our current system for cashing checks is somewhat flawed. Checks can be cashed and merchandise can be purchased even when there is no money in the checking account. There are 5 main forms of check fraud to watch out for:…
Strangers and posers: You tell your children not to talk to strangers, so why do you open the door to a total stranger? And never talk to strangers via an open or screen door. Home-invaders pose as delivery people, law enforcement or public workers. Distress: If someone is in distress tell him or her you…
This is just a bad, bad story with no happy ending. There are home invasions, then there is this home invasion. Just when you think humans can’t get any meaner towards each other there is Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, the 2 men accused of a home invasion in Connecticut in 2007. Hayes and his…
Social media has become a playground for adults, teens, and tweens. And like on any playground, when you hit the jungle gym or horseplay on the seesaw, there is always a chance that you may go home with an egg on your forehead. Or, if you are like me, a broken collarbone. Twitter and Facebook…
In a recent post (Hackers Play “Social Engineering Capture The Flag” At Defcon), I pointed to a game in which contestants used the telephone to convince company employees to voluntarily cough up information they probably shouldn’t have. Of 135 “targets” of the social engineering “game,” 130 blurted out too much information. All five holdouts were…
A recent study shows that organized criminals create approximately 8,000 malicious websites every day, or over 57,000 each week. These malicious websites model legitimate websites that we visit every day, such as bank websites, online shopping sites, and eBay. According to this study, the most frequently impersonated companies include Visa, Amazon.com, PayPal, HSBC, and the United…
Credit card companies, banks, financial advisors, retailers, hospitals, insurance companies, and just about every other industry and organization that deals with finances has been affected by identity theft. All these entities have to deal with fraud at some level. For some it’s an occasional nuisance and for others it’s a part of their daily grind.…
We are all in this together. Whether it’s a home burglar or a home grown terrorist, preserving the sanctity of everyday life is everyone’s responsibility. “The attempted bombing in Times Square on 1 May 2010 highlights the need to identify Homegrown Violent Extremists before they carry out a terrorist act.” The Department of Homeland Security…
The wild, wild web is like any major metropolitan city. There are high-class neighborhoods, retail districts, theater districts, business centers, popular social areas, seedy red-light districts (in Boston we called this the Combat Zone), and bad, bad, BAD neighborhoods. Depending on where you go, you may pick up a virus or get bonked on the…
