Online users need a VPN (virtual private network), a kind of service that gives you online security, and Hotspot Shield’s service has a free version. A VPN hides your device’s IP address and interferes with any company trying to track your browsing patterns. Many online companies take peoples’ data without their authorization, and then share…
Having been a home security expert for years, I am always amazed at how dumb criminals could be, but there’s always a homeowner they can outwit, such as in the case below: A man burglarized two houses in Marshall town, Iowa, and then sold the loot on Facebook, says a story in the online Times-Republican.…
With Wi-Fi, your data is literally in the air, up for grabs by anyone with the right tools. It needs protection from nearby users who may want to freeload off you (which can slow you down) or…hijack your accounts. You need encryption. Especially when you’re connected in airports, hotels, coffee shops, etc., almost always the…
Never underestimate the brains of a young guy who still lives with his mother—at least not the case of 19-year-old Luis Flores, Jr., who was smart enough to steal the identities of Kim Kardashian and even the head of the FBI, and assume their financial accounts. Of course, he wasn’t smart enough not to get…
Yes, you can protect your home without a gun. Having been in the security industry for many years, I have instructed homeowners on proven ways to protect their home without using a firearm. Here are proven ways to protect your home without a gun. Pepper Spray This stuff works. Just getting the mist in your…
Your private information may not be safe with your own mortgage lender, even a small one, says cybersecurity firm HALOCK Security Labs. The leak may occur when data goes from applicant to lender. Seventy percent of the 63 U.S. mortgage lenders that HALOCK investigated allowed applicants to send private and financial data (like tax documents)…
Who would have ever thought that that marvelous invention, the smartphone, as well as your tablet and PC, would give you cause for concern about hiding from spies? And when I say spies I mean anyone who has a vested interest in your information whether that is governments foreign or domestic or a spouse, employer,…
Take home security seriously—before the break-in. If you’re up for a great DIY project, get going with home security. Reinforce doors. What you see in cops and robbers TV shows is true: Doors really can be kicked in. But not if they’re reinforced with easy screw-on upgrades that can resist even a kung fu master.…
Crime doesn’t pay—especially when you can’t read. A man in Chicago spent seven minutes disabling a lock on a local bars door, then kept trying to pull the door open even though a sticker on it said “PUSH.” Now that’s a dumb criminal, because even if he couldn’t read or didn’t notice the sticker, you’d…
Skimming means more than just cutting fat off steak; it’s also when a thief obtains data from that magnetic strip on the back of your credit card (or debit or ATM card). The thief records and copies this data with a counterfeit card reader onto a blank card’s strip, and then makes purchases or cash…
