Security Archives

Shortened URLs: Safe? Or Sabotaged?

Before you click that shortened URL, know the (harsh) facts.

Short links, shortened URLs, tiny URLs: Whatever you call them, they’re everywhere. More than 200 link-shortening services—including the popular Bitly, TinyURL, Google URL Shortener, and Twitter’s link service—turn millions of long, unwieldy URLs into short, spiffy links.

The convenience factor is clear. Sometimes you don’t want a four-line link filled with crazy characters cluttering your email or Facebook post. Platforms like Twitter have rigid character counts ...

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10
JAN
2017

0

Security

are shortened URLs safe, short links, shortened URL, tiny URLs

Is the Internet of Things Safe? How to Protect Your Devices.

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

The Internet of Things connects us and our devices in amazing ways. But it can also wreak havoc on our world.

If you’d never heard of the Internet of Things (IoT), you likely know it now. On Friday, October 21, a massive Distributed Denial of Service attack pummeled popular sites like Google, Twitter, PayPal, the New York Times, and Spotify—crippling them for hours and frustrating millions of users.

The strike targeted the servers at a DNS-services company ...

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20
DEC
2016

0

Security

How to prevent IoT attacks, Internet of Things, IoT, Is the Internet of Things safe?, What is IoT, What is the Internet of Things?

How to Recognize Social Engineering Attacks & Avoid Getting Hacked

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Clever hackers are getting so devious that even IT folks fall for their ploys. Learn how to identify and avoid social engineering attacks.

Social engineers prey on human nature, attacking people’s vulnerabilities—fear, greed, naiveté, and kindness—to get what they want.

And what do they want? Your money, your credentials, your intellectual property, your contact list….

It’s easier to manipulate humans than it is to figure out how to hack your software. This makes social engineering attractive to crooks.

Tricksters may strike via phone, ...

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27
NOV
2016

0

Cybercrime, Security

how to detect social engineering attack, recognizing social engineering attack, social engineering, social engineering attacks, social engineering scams

Why You Need Strong Passwords & How to Create Them

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Think creating strong passwords is a pain? It’s really not. And getting hacked is far more painful.

The call to create tough-to-crack passwords gets louder every year. And still, scores of people ignore it.

Case in point: Computerworld’s list of the worst, most common passwords for the last five years. Topping the chart in 2015 were:

123456
password
12345678
qwerty
12345
123456789
football
1234
1234567
baseball

Not terribly creative—and worse—easily hackable.

Weak passwords pose a huge security risk, enabling crooks to break into private accounts.

Things get worse when people use one ...

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20
NOV
2016

0

Security

best passwords, how to create good passwords, memorable passwords, password management tools, strong passwords, tips for creating strong passwords, worst passwords

Malware on Social Media: It’s Spreading. How to Protect Yourself.

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

It’s easy to be relaxed and unguarded when roaming around Facebook. But with the rise of malware on social media, you better amp up the vigilance.

Email phishing and spear phishing attacks are a popular way for cyber scammers to spread malware. But social-media platforms pose significant threats, too.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the like are goldmines of juicy information for crooks.

Once they gather enough personal details from your profile and posts, they can target you with ...

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15
NOV
2016

0

Cybercrime, Security

malvertising, malware on Facebook, Malware on LinkedIn, malware on social media, malware on Twitter

Why You Need to Switch to HTTPS Now

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Choosing to encrypt a website is becoming less and less of a choice for site owners. The switch to HTTPS is quickly becoming non-negotiable.

Thank the big players out there for making it highly desirable—if not mandatory—for HTTP sites to go HTTPS.

For example:

Google has clearly stated that HTTPS is an important ranking factor. No one wants to get lost in the search shuffle.
In 2017, WordPress—the open-source website-creation tool used by millions—will require hosts to make HTTPS available ...

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11
NOV
2016

0

Security

how to make your website secure, how to obtain SSL certificate, HTTP to HTTPS, switch to HTTPS

Hacked Website: Myth Versus Reality

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Yes, a hacked website can happen to your school. Here, the myths, misinformation, and truths. Plus, tips for protecting yourself.

If you surfed the Internet in 1994, you could probably have gone to all 3,000 websites. (And back then, a hacked website was rare.) Today, you’d be hard pressed to visit even a tiny fraction of the billion-plus sites out there.

Exponential growth has come at a price: About one percent—or ten million—of these websites are hacked or infected.

While your ...

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6
OCT
2016

0

Security

cyber crimes, cybercriminals, Hacked website, how to prevent website hacks, website hackers

Dirty, Rotten Phish

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Email phishing scams are flooding the Internet: How not to get lured in.

Nearly 85 percent of American and British organizations have been victims of phishing attacks, most delivered by email (other popular vehicles include mobile devices, social media, and phone calls).

Financial loss, productivity slowdown, and reputation damage are just some of the consequences companies like Seagate, Snapchat, and (ironically) the web-security company KnowBe4 have suffered after a strike.

Schools are juicy prey, too. And all it takes is one—just ...

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30
SEP
2016

1

Security

cyber crimes, cyber criminals, cyber scams, phishing, spear phishing, whaling

Ransomware: It Can Happen to You

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

An old cybercrime that first surfaced in the late ‘80s, ransomware has re-emerged as a sinister plague.

It can infect school networks—and pretty much everyone else on the planet who has access to a computer and the Internet.

According to the FBI, ransomware victims in the U.S. doled out $209 million in first quarter 2016, compared to $24 million for all of 2015.

Ransomware sites are propagating like mad, reports Infoblox,with a 3,500 percent increase in first quarter 2016 over ...

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27
SEP
2016

0

Security

cyber crimes, cybercriminals, malware, phishing, ransomware

Social-Engineering Attacks. You’re More Vulnerable Than You Think.

Posted by: Lisa McComsey

Are your endusers vulnerable to social engineering? The scammers are counting on it.

You’ve gone to great lengths to protect your school network with firewalls, filters, and anti-virus software. But you’ve still got a weak link (or hundreds). It’s called your end-user. Any one of staff members or students could fall for a social-engineering scam that devastates your entire system.

Hackers are increasingly clever and sophisticated as they “socially engineer” their victims into taking some sort of ...

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24
SEP
2016

0

Security

cyber crimes, cyber criminals, social engineering