Entries by Robert Siciliano

Hackers and Banks win, Clients lose

Don’t blame the hackers; don’t blame the bank; apparently it’s the victim’s fault that a Missouri escrow firm was robbed of $440,000 in a cybercrime, says a report on computerworld.com. The attack occurred in 2010, but the appeals court’s March 2013 ruling declared that the firm, Choice Escrow and Title LLC, can’t hold its bank…

Use an ePrivacy Filter to prevent Visual Hacking

In an average year I’ll tally 75,000 airline miles. In an average week while waiting for the plane to board or while in flight I’ll see multiple laptop screens flipped open with an over the shoulder view of emails being sent and received, PowerPoint presentations being tweaked, proposals being written and various client and employee…

10 ways to Secure your Home for Guests and Parties

The holiday season means an upsurge in home-based parties, and some parties can seem extremely innocent, like a Christmas tree decorating party. These events can get out of hand, even if you know all your guests. But sometimes your guests bring guests that are shady. It’s awful to even acknowledge this, but even people you…

How your Webcam may be spying on You

Remember that song from 1984, “Somebody’s watching me?” It was a great foreshadowing of things to come: These days, people really CAN watch you while you go about your business at home…through your computer. So if someone confides in you that “they’re spying on me through my computer,” don’t be too quick to assume your…

Security is Everyone’s responsibility

In the movies, the good guys always get the bad guys. In cyber reality, no such thing exists. A survey of 5,000 IT security professionals turns up the following: 63% doubt they can stop data breaches. 69% think threats slip through the cracks of their security systems. 57% believe their company lacks protection from advanced…

Swatting is potentially deadly

No, not deadly to a fly that you swat at, but to the homeowners who are subjected to aggressive police searches after the police receive a 911 call that someone was shot at the house. But the call is a hoax. This happened to Jesse Vanremortel at 3:30 am, says an article at theoaklandpress.com. He…

Finally: a Proactive Layer for your Home Security System

Any complete security system requires proactive and reactive components.  Until now, no one had ever focused on the proactive side.  BeON has arrived to update this product category, and they have done it in a simple and elegant way that gives you security without the stress while you’re away…and also yields safety while you’re at…

14 home security tips before you pack up for the Holidays

The holidays are just about here, and so is your not-so-friendly neighborhood burglar. Burglars know that during the holidays, there are just more goodies to steal, and not only that, but there’s a lot of traveling away from home. During this time of year, homeowners need to be extra vigilant about protecting their property, and…

Sociopath: Someone who breaks into your Home

What is a Sociopath? A sociopath, technically, is not a psychopath. These are actual psychiatric terms, and to say they’re one and the same is like saying that eczema and psoriasis are one and the same. Though a sociopath and psychopath will often commit the same crimes, like breaking into a home, these are two…

Expect all Free Mobile Apps to leak your Data

Mashable.com says that recently over 98,000 photos have been leaked from Snapsaved.com, which has shut down. The Snapchat app makers won’t take any credit, even though previously, 4.7 million phone numbers and usernames were leaked. The company seems indifferent, though this May, they reached a settlement with the FTC. Snapchat blames third-party sites and apps…