Author Archive for: Robert Siciliano
Entries by Robert Siciliano
Common Types of Mobile Cyber Attacks and How to Prevent them
With the ubiquity of people owning smartphones and having a growing dependence on them for e-commerce, it has become an attractive avenue for cybercrime. Security researchers report a 500% surge of mobile cyber attacks, as scammers try to steal bank details and passwords or even get full control of phones. However, other forms of mobile malware have invasive…
Think Twice Before You Take a Fun-Looking Online Quiz – A Hacker Might be Behind It
Though it might look like a fun thing to do, you better think twice before taking that quiz that pops up on your social media page. A hacker, otherwise known as a “social engineer” might have created it to obtain your personal information. Criminal hackers are all over social media sites, and it should be…
Prepare Your Digital Life Before You Die
In life as in business, we need to have contingency plans. That means backing up our back up and that means having a plan for when we expire. Nobody really wants to deal with that expire part. Nobody wants to address the fact that the clock is ticking. But you need to. Being in the…
Spammy Scammy Text Messages: Fake Accounts on the Rise as Scammers Use Phone Farms
Every single time I get on a stage and present a security awareness training program, someone desperately asks me how to stop all the scammy text messages. My response is the same for everybody; You can’t. What you can do is play the Whac-a-Mole game and continually mark them as spam and block them. That’s it.…
The ‘Zelle Fraud’ Scam: What it Is and How to Avoid it
Zelle is one of the most famous platforms to quickly send money to loved ones, friends, and family. However, now cybercriminals are taking advantage of it to get people’s account information. Using clever tactics to fool clients, fraudsters are now taking advantage of the existence of Zelle to get customers to give them their account…
Here’s Why You Need Identity, Privacy, and Device Protection
Our philosophy has always been “all security is personal”. So, whether you are a front line administrator, a CISO, or a CEO, the security of your organization begins with you and your person. If you don’t have your own personal security in order, how do you expect your business data to be secured? It starts…
Are You a Hard Target for Cyber Criminals? You Must Be
Cyber criminals hate a hard target. In the language of security, a “hard target” is someone difficult to hack, while a “soft target” is someone who is especially vulnerable. Put yourself in a criminal’s shoes: Which home would you attempt to rob: the one with the back door open or the one with the spotlights…
Credential Stuffing: What It Is and Why You Should Be Concerned
A recent credential stuffing attack on 23andme.com left most people bemused, if they noticed it at all. A similarly muted response followed the leak of millions of user records on known hacker forums. What is a hacker going to do with your ancestral history? The answer may surprise you and should concern you if you…
Are Backup Files the Missing Link in Your Cyber Security?
Do you have backup files for your critical business data and software? Where are they stored? How often are they updated? During Cyber Security Awareness Month, you should be asking these three critical questions. Too often, business leaders and employees see cyber security as an ongoing battle against phishing, business email compromise and other direct…
