Showing posts with label Security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Security. Show all posts

Sunday, July 30, 2017

FBI Warns Parents About Internet Connected Toys

FBI logo
Beware of the toys.  They may be watching, listening and sharing.

That's the warning to parents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about internet connected toys.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recently issued a statement to parents "to consider cyber security prior to introducing smart, interactive, internet-connected toys into their homes or trusted environments."

The concern is that the toys could pose identity theft and exploitation threats due to microphones, cameras and geo-location data that is improperly used, shared or stored.  

The full notice is worth reading but here are a few points:

  • Only connect and use toys with trusted and secure Wi-Fin internet access.
  • Closely monitor children’s activity with the toys (such as conversations and voice recordings) through the toy’s partner parent application, if such features are available
  • Ensure the toy is turned off, particularly those with microphones and cameras, when not in use
  • Use strong and unique login passwords when creating user accounts (e.g., lower and upper case letters, numbers, and special characters)
  • Carefully read disclosures and privacy policies


Should we be concerned?  Maybe to Probably.  It can happen.

Nearly two years, we warned readers about the problem caused by one company.  

In that case, Vtech a major tech toy company, poorly stored sensitive children data on the web.

So the best thing we can do is to be cautious and knowledgeable.

Source: FBI


Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Protect Your Online Accounts with Two Factor Authentication

Gaining access to our online accounts with just a few clicks brings both benefits and drawbacks.

Two Factor Authentication
Sure, you can log into your Google, Facebook or Yahoo accounts from wherever you are. 

But so can someone else.

That's why always using secure passwords is a must.

But what else can you do to protect your accounts from nefarious hackers and data breaches?

Two Factor Authentication is the answer.

What?

Two Factor authentication provides an additional layer of protection when you log into your online accounts.

When you login with two factor authentication, you'll receive a special code sent by text to your mobile phone that also must be entered to provide access to your account.

That prevents someone who doesn't know both your password AND this special one-time code from gaining access to your account.

Many of your most popular sites such as Google, Facebook, YAHOO, Twitter and LinkedIn all provide this valuable security feature.

Here's how to enable two factor authentication for Google, Facebook and YAHOO:

Google
  • Click HERE to start the Google 2-Step Verification set-up process for your Google account.
Facebook
To start the two factor authentication for your Facebook account:
  • Go to your Security and Login Settings by clicking  in the top-right corner of Facebook and clicking Settings > Security and Login.
  • Scroll down to Use two-factor authentication and click Edit
  • Choose the authentication method you want to add and follow the on-screen instructions
  • Click Enable once you've selected and turned on an authentication method


YAHOO

To enable two factor authentication for your YAHOO account:
  • Sign in to your Yahoo Account info page.
  • Click Account Security.
  • Next to Two-step verification, click the On/Off icon click the on-Off icon in the two-step verification process. .
  • Enter your mobile number.
  • Click Send SMS to receive a text message with a code or Call me to receive a phone call.
  • Enter the verification code | click Verify.
  • The next window refers to the use of apps like iOS Mail or Outlook. Click Create app password to reconnect your apps. See the section below for more info.
  • Want to turn it off? Simply click the On/Off icon Use the on-off button. under Two-step verification.
  • Using two-step verification with apps
  • Some apps (like iOS Mail, Android Mail, Outlook, and Yahoo messenger for PC) require a specific password to connect that app with Yahoo. If you enable two-step verification, you'll need to create a third-party app password to use in apps like these.



#twofactor #authentication #Google #YAHOO #facebook #twitter #LinkedIn #security #password #hacker 

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Remove Apple QuickTime To Prevent Hacker Attack

United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team
US-CERT, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team has issued a warning this week for Windows PC users to remove Apple's QuickTime software from their computers.

Apple has announced that it is ending support for the software.  While the software will continue to work, it is vulnerable to malicious exploitation by hackers.

Apple has detailed instructions HERE on how to remove QuickTime.

QuickTime was Apple's proprietary multimedia software and they aggressively promoted its use for years.  Often, it was a required download with other Apple software such as iTunes software.

So you may have it installed and not even know it.

It's a quick thing to do on my Windows machines.

Uninstall at your first opportunity.

Your PC will thank you.

READ MORE

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#Apple #QuickTime #hacker #security #Windows #Microsoft


Edit: added additional information concerning QuickTime.

Monday, November 30, 2015

What to Do If You Are Affected by the Vtech Hack Attack

Vtech, a worldwide provider of electronic products, has been hacked.

Specifically, the Learning Lodge app store used for the interactive toys made by Vtech was attacked.


Millions of users are affected.  Emails, Passwords and other account information was stolen.

The Learning Lodge site is currently offline.


Vtech was quick to point out that credit card information was not involved.

But here's the real problem.  

User's emails, passwords and -- most importantly -- the questions and answers to security questions for password retrieval were stolen.

That means if users used the same email, passwords and security answers on OTHER websites, their credit card and financial information is possibly as risk. 

So what can you do?

Be sure to change the passwords and security question answers of OTHER sites that shared the Vtech password and security answers.

And going forward, do not use the same passwords and security question answers on other sites.

That's hard to do but your online identity is worth protecting.

Affected customers with questions can contact Vtech at the following emails:


Saturday, November 28, 2015

Dell's Terrible Horrible No Good Security Flaws

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Dell Inc. has a major technical and PR crisis on its hands.  

Many Dell PCs have two applications installed that can be used by hackers to compromise the security of the PC.  

The two programs were used by Dell to assist in technical support of the PC.

The good news is that Dell has a solution for the problem.  Dell is  automatically pushing the fix out to the PCs using the "Dell Update" program that launches at startup.  You can check that you are up-to-date by clicking the Dell Update icon in the task bar near the clock 
One Cool Tip - http://www.onecooltip.com


That's the easiest fix for the issue.  If your Dell Update hasn't been updated, right mouse-click on the Dell Update application icon and select "Check for Updates" while you are online.

If you are more adventurous, you can also download the patch directly from Dell or even use the manual instructions for removing the affected security certificates from your PC.  More information is available from Dell's support page:  http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN300321

You can learn more about the issue from these news sites:


READ MORE

OneCoolTip.com
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#Dell #Computer #PC #Certificate #eDellRoot #DSDTestProvider

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Check Out Google's New "My Account"

Google Logo
Google, long a target for its omnipresence role in people's digital lives, has just released a new tool to allow you to better control your Google life.

Or at least the information you share with Google.

The new tool, My Account, is available at : http://myaccount.google.com/

The new My Account tool provides access to your Google settings and other tools to safeguard your data and help protect your privacy.

For example, you can manage the settings and the information for popular Google services such as Search, Maps, and YouTube.

As with anything in life, it's a matter of making choices,  If you want Google to provide relevant information from its maps or Google Now service, Google needs to know your location history.  That's the key data behind providing the service.

Some people want the service while others may cringe at the thought of so much information in the hands of a large technology provider.

But that's the value of the new My Account tool.

You can make better decisions about how much information you want to share.

READ MORE

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Don't Get LinkedJacked on Facebook

Are you on Facebook?  If you are, you're in good company.

Facebook says that over 500 million users world-wide are connected through its service and over 70% of the users are outside the United States.

With an online population like that, trouble is bound to happen.

While specific threats shift over time, the most recent security issue on Facebook is "Linkjacking" also known as "clickjacking".  That's when a user clicks a link posted to his or her wall by a friend, or adds javascript code to his or her browser window based on a friend's link that causes actions unknown to the user.  Like posting the same link to all of his or her friends' Facebook walls.  And so it continues, on and on and on.

So, what can you do?  When online, always play it safe.  If it's too good to be true, don't click on a link.  Even if its for a FREE iPad, or a spicy hidden video of Britney Spears. Yuk.

Facebook offers some specific advice on the subject as well:
Clickjacking
Certain malicious websites contain code that can make your browser take action without your knowledge or consent. Clicking on a link on one of these websites might cause the website to be posted to your Facebook profile, for example. Don't click on strange links, even if they're from friends, and notify the person if you see something suspicious.
It's a jungle out there in the online world.  Be smart and practice Safe Computing!

For more information about Facebook Security, visit their Security page at http://www.facebook.com/security


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Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!