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Researcher says HTTPS can track You

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Perhaps you’ve read that “HTTPS” at the start of a website address means that the site is secure, encrypted. However, a feature of the HTTPS can track you, says an article at theregister.co.uk.

2DHTTP is not secure. Carnegie Mellon University in a Register article states “HSTS”, which is “Strict Transport Security”  redirects users to HTTPS. The HSTS authors decided that this redirection every single time was a bit much, so they came up with a feature that browsers could remember regarding the HSTS policy of visited sites. I know, a LOT OF INFORMATION.

The Register article goes on to explain that this feature is a “super cookie.” If you use a redirected site, an HSTS “pin” is set. It’s unique to you and the site you visit. Sam Greenhalgh says, as quoted in the article, “Once the number is stored it could be read by other sites in the future. Reading the number just requires testing if requests for the same web addresses are redirected or not.”

The browsing modes of incognito or private have no effect, continues the article. IE doesn’t support HSTS, but Chrome, Firefox and Opera browsers permit HSTS flags to be cleared.

Safari is a different story, says Greenhalgh. The article quotes him: “When using Safari on an Apple device there appears to be no way that HSTS flags can be cleared by the user. HSTS flags are even synced with the iCloud service so they will be restored if the device is wiped. In this case the device can effectively be ‘branded’ with an indelible tracking value that you have no way of removing.”

Think of all of this as a kind of fingerprinting of the user, you. A crook who runs a malicious site is capable of exploiting this feature. However, Google has reported to Greenhalgh that it’s “not practical” to “defeat such fingerprinting.”Its not practical getting hacked either.

Protect your privacy:

  • Don’t send any sensitive information when connecting over public Wi-Fi (e.g. don’t do banking or shop online)
  • Use private browsing mode on your Internet browser or at least turn off your browser cookies.
  • Never reply to spam or unknown messages, whether by email, text, IM or social networking posts from people you don’t know—especially if it’s for an offer that sounds too good to be true.
  • Only friend or connect with people online you know in real life.
  • Make sure when you’re providing any personal information online that the site uses encryption (look for https:// in the URL) and check to see how they are using your personal data in their privacy policy.
  • Be aware of location services with your smartphone or tablet. Turn off the GPS on your mobile device’s camera and only allow

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.

Feds warn of more Online Predators

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What goes on in the home life of a 14-year-old girl such that she feels there’s nothing better to do than send nude photos of herself to a man whom she’s been corresponding with online? Though this goes well-beyond the parents not bothering to find out what their kids do online, another huge issue is the proliferation of online predators.

2WAnd for parents who DO care enough to monitor their kids’ cyber activities, here’s some unsettling news: A 2013 survey called  Digital Deception: Exploring the Online Disconnect between Parents and Kids revealed that 69 percent of the young respondents reported they knew how to conceal their online activities from their parents. The study also showed that 80 percent of the parent-respondents said they wouldn’t even know how to figure out what their kids’ online activities were. Conclusion: Parents are clueless.

This makes it easier for predators to find victims. There’s the case of a girl who, at age 13, sent an image of herself to a 26 year old man who for the next five years cyber-harassed her, demanding more images. The girl was driven to two suicide attempts and finally alerted authorities who found him.

Another predator tricked a 15-year-old into sending him photos who turned out to be a 50 year old man. They do this by sending photos of younger cuter boys around the same age as their victim females. Parent need to have ongoing dialog with their kids that this is going on everyday somewhere and “it can happen to you too”

These act can often be prevented which once again, brings to mind what kind of parenting or lack of parenting is going on. Though parents can’t monitor their kids’ activities every second, something has to be said about why a young person’s life would be so empty that they end up sending out nude photos of themselves—even if the victim thinks the recipient is the same age!

What Parents Should Do

  • Educate kids about online predators
  • Educate yourself about online predators
  • Warn kids about never sending images into cyber space
  • Make sure kids understand that they will never be shamed for reporting a perilous situation
  • Tell kids that no matter how aggressive or threatening a cyber predator seems to be, they ultimately don’t have that much power; they’re ground meat once the authorities find them.
  • The less time kids spend tinkering around on the Internet, the less likely they’ll meet up with a predator. Get your kids involved in confidence-building activities that develop independent thinking skills and assertiveness.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

The Guide to Securing Your New Tech Toys

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Ho ho ho! It seems that this year, Santa’s sleigh was filled with technology—laptops, smartphones, gaming consoles, etc. Playing with and learning about your new tech toy is fun, but remember to secure your device. It would be a total bummer if your new toy was suddenly compromised by a virus or hacked into. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to protect your new device.

7WComputer/laptop

Install security software. Free software is not recommended, as it provides only basic protection and you’ll likely end up purchasing more anyways. Your security software should include:

  • A two-way firewall: monitors the activity on your devices making sure nothing bad is coming in (like unauthorized access) and nothing good is leaving (like your data).
  • Anti-virus software: protects your devices from malicious keyloggers and other malware.
  • Anti-phishing software: watches your browser and email for suspicious inbox activity.
  • Anti-spyware software: keep your PC spyware free.
  • Safe search capacities: McAfee® SiteAdvisor® tells you what websites are good and which are suspicious.

Smartphone or tablet

  • Be leery of third-party apps.
  • Turn off automatic connections to Bluetooth and Wi-fi.
  • Apply app and OS updates.
  • Never store sensitive information on your device.
  • Use mobile security software for iOS or Android that includes anti-virus, anti-theft, app, and web protection.

Gaming or electronic device

  • Create backups.
  • Don’t store personal info on the device.
  • Connect only to a secure Wi-Fi network.
  • Make sure you apply any OS updates.

Now have a great time with your new tech device. Play with ease of mind, knowing your device is secure.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.

How The Internet of Things can go very wrong

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The Internet—one of history’s greatest inventions—is also one of history’s greatest platforms for crime. Here are ways things can go very wrong with the Internet of Things.

2DMed-hacking. Researchers have hacked many medical devices. Though it apparently hasn’t happened in the real world, yet, but it looks like it’s only a matter of time before medical equipment becomes hacked, such as automatic insulin pumps and pacemakers. The FDA is quite new to looking into this potential.

Sauna house. It’s possible for a hacker, if not currently, then in the near future, to get into your connected thermostat and kick it up to 120 degrees. Yes, it’s great to control the thermostat when you’re away from home…but someone else who has too much time on his hands might think that’s great, too!

Smartphones. Maybe one day it will be smarter to go back to the dumb phone. At least a dumb phone can’t be used by a hacker to turn things upside down for you, such as getting ahold of your financial account numbers or sensitive photos.

Your printer can get hacked. Someone could remotely bust into it and view your documents. A crook can infect your home printer with a Trojan to not only spy, but install malware. And if your printer is potentially a target for hackers, imagine what else around your house could be, such as your router and any other gadget that’s connected to the Internet.

From carjack to car-hack. A connected car can be hacked via its wireless enabled radio, with commands then going to the steering wheel or brakes. Know any computer geniuses who hate you and know your car is connected?

Satellite airline equipment is vulnerable to malicious invasions; this has potential repercussions to the communications involving airplanes and ships. This kind of hacking can go as far as tricking a plane to redirect its course.

The TSA carry-on baggage scanner can be hacked into and then used to get weapons past TSA checkpoints. There’s even a feature that can show fake images on the X-ray screen.

So, don’t worry about any of this. But DO something about it. At a minimum lock down your wireless with encryption. Routers come with WPA/2 security and it should be activated. Otherwise deploy antivirus, antispyware, antiphishing and a firewall.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247. Disclosures.

Steps to Manage a secure online backup

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Cyber storage does not always = secure backup. Users of cloud storage have many potential tools at hand to beef up security. And just because cloud services have some loopholes doesn’t mean you should just throw in the towel, as the saying goes, and figure “What’s the point?”. Here are some ways to beef up cloud storage security and manage your online backup.1D

  • Take inventory of what’s stored in your cloud account. Evaluate how important each data item is. If the cloud service can access your data, you may want to make some adjustments, since some of your data might not be compatible with the service’s terms.
  • Consider encrypting your most sensitive data if you don’t want to remove it from the cloud and then back it up locally.
  • Don’t put all your data in one basket, either. Suppose all your data is stored in one cloud service, and that service gets hacked or something else happens and you lose your data—or it’s in the hands of thieves. If you use more than one cloud service, then at least if one gets hacked, you’re not totally screwed. Think of this as being like having your precious jewels locked in several small safes throughout your house, rather than in one giant safe. What are the odds that an intruder will find all the safes and get into all of them?
  • If your cloud account has any devices, services or applications linked, very carefully inspect and modify their settings to optimize security. Discard useless, old, unused connections so they don’t become portals to your data.
  • Use two-factor authentication on every cloud password when available. If the service doesn’t offer two-factor, consider dumping it.
  • Make your answers to security questions crazy-nutty, but also memorable.
  • Assess your cloud passwords. They should be very different from each other. If you can’t handle memorizing a bunch of long, convoluted passwords (which are the best kind), use a password manager.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247. Disclosures.

What’s Your Click IQ?

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The recent celebrity photo hacks are an unfortunate reminder of how devastating or embarrassing it can be to have your data compromised.  But celebrities are not the only ones getting hacked. Cybercriminals aren’t choosy—they’ll send malicious texts, emails, and website links to Jennifer Lawrence and your grandma. And while the celebrity hacks are more publicized, the fact is, every day, hundreds of ordinary people are falling prey to phishing scams.

So how can you protect yourself from these cybercriminals? The best defense is actually you.

Many of these scams involve a similar thing—the click. So if you learn how to click wisely, 95% of cybercrime techniques—including phishing, bad URLs, fake text messages, infected pdfs, and more—are eliminated.

And that’s the idea behind Intel Security’s new campaign, #ClickSmart. Intel Security wants to empower you with the skills and sense to avoid those dastardly scams.

Here are some tips to get you started

  • Check URLs for misspellings or interesting suffixes. For example, if you see www.faceboook.ru, don’t click it.
  • Only open texts and emails from people you know. But even if you do know the sender, be wary for any suspicious subject lines or links. Hackers can try to lure you through your friends and family.
  • Beware of emails, texts, and search results offering anything for free. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn’t true.

Print

Are you ready to take the #ClickSmart challenge? If so, go to digitalsecurity.intel.com/clicksmart and see if you’re a Click head or a Click wizard.

To learn more on how to #ClickSmart, join @IntelSecurity, @McAfeeConsumer, @cyber, @GetCyberSafe, @STOPTHNKCONNECT  for Twitter chat on October 14th at 12 PM PT. Use #ChatSTC to join in on the conversation. Click here for more information.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.

Tonight’s Special Guest: McAfee’s Most Dangerous Celebrity of 2014

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After a long day of hard work, there’s nothing like coming home, throwing on some PJs, and watching some good old late night television. I love catching up on all the latest news and watching celebrities like Kaley Cuoco-Sweetin discuss the celebrity photo hack (what can I say? I’m a security junkie).

Dangerous Celebrity of 2014It seems like we’ve always had a fascination with the lives of the rich and famous. In the 1700s, people gathered to watch the every move of the King of France, from getting out of bed to changing his underwear. Page Six, the gossip column, used to be the must-read page in the New York Post. Now, in the age of social media, following our favorite celebrities’ comings and goings is even easier. All we have to do is go on Twitter to get the latest about Jayoncé.

Unfortunately, our obsession with celebrities can get us into trouble on the Web. Cybercriminals love to take advantage of our interest in celebrities for malicious means. They use hot celebrity news, like updates on Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes’ baby, along with the offer of free content to lure you to malicious sites that could steal your money or personal information or install malware.

There are some celebrities who are more likely to lead you to bad stuff than others. Today McAfee announced that Jimmy Kimmel, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is the 2014 Most Dangerous Celebrity™. McAfee found that searching for the latest Jimmy Kimmel videos and downloads yields more than a 19.4% chance of landing on a website that tested positive for online threats.

Here are the rest of the celebrities that round out this year’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Celebrities list.

 

History tells us we probably aren’t going to get over our fascination with celebrities anytime soon. But there are some things you can do now to stay safe online while you’re reading about your favorite personalities.

  • Be suspicious. If a search turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers, be wary
  • Check the web address. Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe (for more on this, read my blog on typosquatting)
  • Search safely.Use a Web safety advisor, such as McAfee® SiteAdvisor® that displays a red, yellow, or green ratings in search results, alerting you to potential risky sites before you click on them
  • Protect yourself. Use comprehensive security software on all your devices, like McAfee LiveSafe™ service, to protect yourself against the latest threats

Help Spread the Word!
In order to continue to promote safe celebrity searching, McAfee will be running a sharing sweepstakes. Help others stay educated about staying safe online by sharing Most Dangerous Celebrities content and you could  win a Red Carpet Swag Bag that includes a Dell Venue™ 7 tablet, Beats Solo 2.0 HD headphones, a subscription to McAfee LiveSafe service along with other goodies. You must be 18 or older and reside in the United States in order to participate. Learn more here.

While it’s fine to get your fix of celebrity gossip , remember to be safe when doing so.

To learn more about Most Dangerous Celebrities, click here or read the press release, use the hashtag #RiskyCeleb on Twitter, follow @McAfeeConsumer or like McAfee on Facebook.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.

Beware These College-Related Scams

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The last group of college students has headed off to school for another semester of dorm rooms, late-night library sessions, and the occasional college party. For many students, college is the first time they’ve lived away from home. They are young, open to new things, and sometimes, naïve. These traits make them prime targets for scams.

9DHere are some of the most popular college scams:

  • Fake College Websites
    Here’s how this works. Scammers copy a college’s website but use a fictitious name on the site (in essence creating a spoofed site). They use this site to collect application fees and gather personal information. They even go so far as to send out rejection letters to applicants to try and “maintain” their credibility. But all this application will get you is financial loss and the potential to be victim for future phishing scams.
  • Diploma Mills
    These are unaccredited colleges or universities that provide illegal degrees and diplomas for money. Many spoofed college websites are also used as diploma mills. Though some diploma mills may require students to buy books, do homework and even take tests, the student will be passed no matter what. In some cases, users get a diploma simply by purchasing it. In any case, you’re out of money and have no valid diploma.
  • Fake Scholarships
    Let’s face it. College is not cheap. Therefore, many students look for scholarships to help ease the financial cost. Scammers profit on this need by creating fake scholarships, which require you to submit a fee when applying for the money. You never see a dime and you’ve lost that application fee as well as given up some of your personal info.
  • Wi-Fi Scams
    Computers are an essential part of the college experience and wi-fi connectivity is a necessity. So while you may not want to pay or can’t afford to pay for wi-fi connectivity, you need to be careful when using free wi-fi as hackers can easily intercept your communications.

So while college is a time to learn and experience new things, you also want to avoid getting scammed. So here’s some tips on how to make sure you don’t get taken by one of these scams:

  • To protect yourself, develop the habit of not giving personal information to strangers and double check the authenticity of the organization.
  • Before sending in any online application, double check the accreditation for any college or university. In the United States, you can do that on the Department of Education site.
  • Verify that a scholarship is valid, by checking with an organization like FinAid.org.
  • Avoid doing any sensitive transactions like shopping or banking when using free wi-fi connections.

Yes, there are plenty of scams out there. But with common sense and a willingness to double-check, students can avoid being lured in.

Have a great school year!

For more tips on how to stay safe online, follow McAfee on Twitter or like them on Facebook.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.

Consumers Eager for Connected Technology

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Many of us are familiar with the Jetson’s TV cartoon that showed the life of a family in 2026 and how technology is a part of their everyday life. If you’re like me, some of the gadgets that George and his family had are probably things you thought were cool or would be convenient to have, especially the automatic meals that could be selected and then delivered with the push of a button or the flying cars. While we’re not quite at the level of George Jetson, technology advancements are only going to continue.

With that in mind, McAfee commissioned MSI for a study, “Safeguarding the Future of Digital America in 2025,” that looks at how far technology will be in 10 years. And also looking at how all this technology and interconnectedness affects our privacy and security—something George Jetson never had to worry about with Rosie (his robot maid), or while he video chatted.

What is interesting to see from the study is what people believe will be prevalent in 2025 (some of which are Jetson-esque) such as:

  • 60% believe that sooner or later, robots and artificial intelligence will be assisting with their job duties
  • 30% believe they’ll be using fingerprints or biometrics to make purchases
  • 69% foresee accessing work data via voice or facial recognition
  • 59% of people plan to have been to a house that speaks or reads to them.

There’s no reason to doubt all of these advances won’t soon be reality, but there will also be new considerations for consumers to be aware of. The more “connected” you are, the more you’re at risk. But while consumers seem to be embracing these new conveniences, 68% of them are worried about cybersecurity so it’s imperative that all of us know how to protect ourselves today and into the future.

How can you protect yourself?

  • Do your research before purchasing the latest gizmo. Read the manufacturer’s, app’s or site’s security and privacy policy. Make sure you fully understand how the product accesses, uses and protects your personal information and that you’re comfortable with this.
  • Read customer reviews. There’s hardly a product on the market that doesn’t have some kind of rating or customer feedback online. This unsolicited advice can help you determine if this is a device you want to own.
  • Password protect all of your devices. Stop putting this off. Don’t use the default passwords that come with the device or short, easy ones. Make sure they’re unique, long and use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols. Complex passwords can also be a pain to remember, that’s why using a password manager tool, like the one provided by McAfee LiveSafe™ service is a good idea.
  • Don’t have a clicker finger. Be discriminating before you click any links, including those in emails, texts and social media posts. Consider using web protection like McAfee® SiteAdvisor® that protects your from risky links.
  • Be careful when using free Wi-Fi or public hot spots. This connection isn’t secure so make sure you aren’t sending personal information or doing any banking or shopping online when using this type of connection.
  • Protect all your devices and data. McAfee LiveSafe service you can secure your computers, smartphones and tablets, as well as your data and guard yourself from viruses and other online threats.

Make sure you’re not like George calling out to his wife Jane saying “Jane…stop this crazy thing!” as he’s ready to fall off his electronic dog walker that’s gone out of control! Stay safe online!

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked! See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.

MCAI

To join the conversation use the hashtag #FutureTech or follow McAfee on Twitter or like them on Facebook.

To download the infographic, click here or click to read the press release.

The Beginners Guide to using TOR

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Want to be invisible online? Get to know Tor.

TORTor will make you cyber-anonymous, concealing your cyber footprints, ID, browsing history and physical location. It even makes the sites you visit anonymous. Now, all that being said, there seems to be a concerted effort by certain US government agencies and others to crack Tor, but that hasn’t been completely accomplished…yet.

More on Tor

Realize, that Tor can’t provide 100 percent security. On paper, the Tor network is secure. But the typical Joe or Jane may unintentionally exit Tor using an “exit node,” and end up getting on a website or server that’s in the “open web.” If the visited site is not encrypted, Joe or Jane’s communications can be hijacked.

Tor is actually easy to set up. You can download packages for your operating system: Mac, Windows or GNU/Linux, and this includes the Tor Browser. The Covert Browser supports Tor for iOS and Android.

You may find, however, that your device may fight against installing Tor; the device thinks it’s malevolent and won’t accept the download. Keep trying. Have faith in the Tor code and download it.

The Tor experience is quite leisurely, slowing down what you can do in a given amount of time. It’s not going to get faster, either, as more and more people decide to use Tor. It’s slow because it directs traffic through multiple, random relay nodes prior to arriving at the destination node. So realize that you’ll be dealing with more of a turtle than a hare.

Tor blocks applications, too. If you want total anonymity, you should use the Tor software with the Tor Browser. But plugins will be blocked by the Tor Browser—because plugins can be used to see your IP address. This is why the Tor Project suggests not installing plugins. This means giving up YouTube and other sites while using Tor.

Be warned, Tor can get you undesired attention because the government is more suspicious of Tor users. This doesn’t mean the government will knock down your doors if you’re using Tor. It just means that Tor users may get the attention of the government more than typical Internet users.

As previously stated there’s evidence that government agencies, including the NSA, are trying to dismantle the Tor network, even though it delivers strong privacy protection to average Internet users.

If you want this level of anonymity, you’re going to have to get used to the fact that using Tor will change your online experiences (can you get by without YouTube?). The Tor Project says: “You need to change some of your habits, as some things won’t work exactly as you are used to.”

No matter whether on Tor or the open web, make sure if you are on free public WiFi that you are using Hotspot Shield to encrypt any wireless data.

Give Tor a try if privacy and anonymity are important enough for you to give up some of the features that make your online activities enjoyable, convenient and/or productive timewise.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to Hotspot Shield. He is the author of99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him discussing internet and wireless security on Good Morning America. Disclosures.