A connected home is one in which appliances and accessories are connected to the Internet. An example would be a refrigerator that texts the homeowner when the eggs are about to run out (the egg tray has the sensor). It’s projected that a connected home can be built from the inside out, but connection is…
Would you reasonably expect success when attempting to drive cross country in a 1975 Pinto with balled tires, no brakes, dried cracked belts and with already 250k on the motor? You might if you didn’t stop and think about things. The same is true of an individual or a business who’s still using a Windows…
You’ve heard of spyware, right? Spyware comes in the form of a virus and as a commercially available and legal software. It’s illegal for a stranger (or even someone you know, unless they own the device, and you just use it) to install spyware on your computer or smartphone and spy on you. However, many…
Yes we all use (or at least 96% of us do) our smartphones to take photos. But almost half of us (49%) have sent or received intimate content (photos, texts, etc.). So it’s time to stop and think about what we’re sharing and with whom. I’ve said this before…the rise of smartphone usage has provided…
Most information technology (IT) experts are very much unnerved by cyber criminals, says the biggest study involving surveys of IT professionals in mid-sized businesses. 87% send data to cloud accounts or personal e-mail. 58% have sent data to the wrong individual. Over 50% have confessed to taking company data with them upon leaving a post.…
The owner of your favorite restaurant may be tracking your every move—via your smartphone. Not because he’s a snoop, but because he believes knowing when and where you go for entertainment will benefit his business. And how did he pull this caper off? There’s are companys out there, that place sensors in businesses within a…
A reverse peephole viewer is exactly what the words sound like: It reverses the effects of a peephole, meaning it allows you to see inside, from the outside. The viewer’s lenses reverse the effect of the peephole’s convex lenses, and easily fits in your pocket. Law enforcement commonly uses the reverse peephole viewer to access…
How did that huge recent data breach of a major retailer occur in the first place? Well, valuables can’t be stolen if there aren’t any valuables to begin with. Large merchants will store customers’ credit/debit card data to facilitate faster transactions. But small retailers keep minimal or zero data—this will not attract thieves. If customers…
What is knowledge-based authentication? The KBA design asks the user to correctly answer at least one question, a “secret” only the user would know. There are two types of KBA: 1) Answering a question that the user has pre-selected (static scheme), and 2) Answering a question that’s determined by garnering data in public records (dynamic…
It’s time to know all the ways you can make sure you’re safe when in mobile space to prevent identity theft. It’s 10 pm; do know where the malware is? Malware is stealthy and hides in places you least expect, like search engines, tech-related sites, entertainment sites and web ads. Malware can even be waiting…
