Entries by Robert Siciliano

5 Auto Repair Scams

You take your car to the mechanic; it’s been making a funny grinding noise when you press on the gas pedal. The mechanic tells you what’s wrong and what needs to be fixed, then socks you with the estimate. How can you tell he’s not embellishing a lot of the “diagnosis”? You know nothing about…

Protect your small business against viruses with these tips

It is September and it’s National Preparedness Month—a great time to get involved in the safety of your community. Make plans to stay safe, and this includes maintaining ongoing communications. National Preparedness Month culminates September 30th with National PrepareAthon! Day. I learned in high school biology class that one of the things that distinguishes life…

Back to school Tech Security Tips for College Students

Some of us remember college dorm days, when students were envied if they had their own typewriter. These days, college students must have a personal laptop computer, and a smartphone, and their lives revolve around these connected devices.  Such dependency should be proactively protected from loss or theft.  Campus security now means more than just…

These are the Bigtime Hackers

Hackers with big skills and a big ego will be drawn to Facebook and Twitter as their targets. But they’ll also target dozens of other companies, reports an article on arstechnica.com. One group in particular stands out as the attackers, using zero-day exploits. They are known as Wild Neutron and Morpho, says the article, and…

Idiot Burglar takes Selfie

About 7 a.m. on a Saturday a burglar entered a home through an unlocked side door (how anyone can sleep overnight while a door stays unlocked is a whole new article). The dumb criminal saw an iPhone and unknowingly triggered a video selfie—showing him standing in the living room during this recent L.A. crime—while three…

Getting attacked by a Police Dog

Have you ever seen men getting “attacked” by a police or military dog as part of the dog’s training? The men (I’ve never seen a woman, but I’d like to think there are some strong, feisty women who suit up for this role) wear either just a big padded thing on one of their arms,…

The Impact of Ransomware on Small Businesses

What’s going on this September? National Preparedness Month. This will be the time to increase your awareness of the safety of your business, family, pets and community. During disasters, communication is key. National Preparedness Month concludes on September 30 with the National PrepareAthon! Day. It would be like a science fiction movie: You go to…

Don’t’s and Do’s when using Public Wi-Fi

Curl up in a chair at your favorite coffee house, the aroma of premium coffee filling the air, take a few sips of your 700 calorie latte, and then enter cyberspace. Little do you know that you could have a stalker. Or two. Or 3,000. Because public Wi-Fi is there for the picking for hackers.…