Advanced Computer Services of Central Florida

07/13/2022

Good morning

10/23/2018

I suggest that all my clients and friends go to https://haveibeenpwned.com/ and put in your email address and run a check on it. I did, and my company email and some other data were in three recent breaches. On one of the breach’s, the company didn’t bother to encrypt the passwords so they were in plain text when the breach happened.

About two week later I got an email with the bad guys using an old and very unique password of mine. Thankfully I use a trustworthy password manager (LastPass) and had already changed many of the passwords so no harm, no foul.

The part that really ticks me off is the fact that one of the compromised organizations left all the logon information with no encryption, a lot of the information stolen was in plain text.

Frank

Have I Been Pwned allows you to search across multiple data breaches to see if your email address has been compromised.

11/23/2016

Great advice to help you get your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping done safely.

Frank

12 tips for safer Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping

By Tim Greene

During Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016, consumers should watch out for scams that come through spam, insecure public networks and apps that might seem legitimate but could be taking over your phones and computers, experts say.

Read more at http://www.networkworld.com/article/3144057/security/12-tips-for-safer-black-friday-and-cyber-monday-shopping.html

12 cyber shopping tips because criminals will be using all the attacks they can this holiday season in order to score cash and gather valuable personal data that they can monetize later.

10/10/2016

This isn’t good at all. At this point it would impossible to give me a new Samsung phone, much less sell me one.

Frank

3 replacement Galaxy Note 7 phones caught fire in the past week

By Ms. Smith

Replacement Galaxy Note 7 phones may not be any safer than the Note 7 devices which caught fire and caused a recall, based on three replacement Note 7 devices catching fire in the past week.

Read more at http://www.networkworld.com/article/3129468/security/3-replacement-galaxy-note-7-phones-caught-fire-in-the-past-week.html

A teenager was burned when her replacement Note 7 melted in her hand; a Southwest Airlines plane was evacuated due to a replacement device spewing smoke; a Kentucky couple's bedroom filled with smoke after a replacement Note 7 caught fire.

10/10/2016

Good! I hope it passes! The ISP’s charge us through the nose for their service and have the gall to track us and use are data as they please without the common decency of asking our permission.

Frank

FCC to vote on strict privacy rules for ISPs in late October

By Grant Gross

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will push forward with controversial privacy regulations that would require broadband providers to get customer permission before using and sharing geolocation, browsing histories, and other personal information.

Read more at http://www.networkworld.com/article/3128806/fcc-to-vote-on-strict-privacy-rules-for-isps-in-late-october.html

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will push forward with controversial privacy regulations that would require broadband providers to get customer permission before using and sharing geolocation, browsing histories, and other personal information.

08/08/2016

Incredible and totally diabolical, the thought of this kind of hack never crossed my mind.
Frank

Hacking monitors for spying, stealing data, manipulating what you see on the screen
By Ms. Smith

The list of ways we can be spied upon seems nearly endless, but you can add one more to that list: active screen snooping via your vulnerable monitor. And that’s just one flavor of attack that can be pulled off by exploiting monitors.

Please click on the link below to read more. Thank you

Researchers at DEF CON revealed that computer monitors can be hacked and used to actively snoop on you, to covertly steal data and even to manipulate what you see on the screen.

08/04/2016

WOW! That is one hell of a heist! It sounds like an inside job to me.
Frank

Another huge bitcoin heist: Bitcoin worth $72 million stolen from Bitfinex
By Ms. Smith

The Hong Kong-based bitcoin exchange Bitfinex suspended trading on Tuesday after discovering a security breach. A hacker or hackers pulled off a massive heist of nearly 120,000 bitcoins. At the time of the theft, 119,756 bitcoins would have been worth about $72 million. After the breach announcement, the price of bitcoin crashed; current exchange rates place the value at around $65 million.

Please click on the link below to read more. Thank you

The Hong Kong-based bitcoin exchange Bitfinex suspended trading after discovering a security breach.

08/04/2016

This is quickly turning into a digital epidemic.
Frank

Cisco report says growing ransomware attacks are costing people and businesses millions
By Gina Hall

Cybercriminals are raking in $34 million annually by targeting individuals and businesses with ransomware.

An uptick in ransomware attacks is costing the average target $300, according to a new security report out from Cisco Systems Inc. More than 9,500 people pay ransoms to hackers each month.

Please click on the link below to read more. Thank you

An uptick in ransomware attacks is costing the average target $300, according to the report. More than 9,500 people pay ransoms to hackers each month.

08/02/2016

Interested in more relevant cyber-security news on Microsoft, Apple, and Android? Go to www.advcomputerservices.com

Interpol has arrested a top Nigerian email scammer who stole more than US$60 million by tricking businesses into handing over funds by posing as trusted suppliers.

08/02/2016

A little good news for a change.
Frank

Interpol arrests Nigerian email scammer who swindled $60 million
By Michael Kan

Interpol has arrested a top Nigerian email scammer who stole more than US$60 million by tricking businesses into handing over funds by posing as trusted suppliers.

Please click on the link below to read more. Thank you

Interpol has arrested a top Nigerian email scammer who stole more than $60 million by tricking businesses into handing over funds.

07/28/2016

You have to love it when cyber-criminals don’t play well with each other.
Frank

Rival gang leaks decryption keys for Chimera ransomware
By Lucian Constantin

Aside from the efforts of security researchers and antivirus companies, malware victims can sometimes also benefit from the fighting between rival cybercriminal groups.

Please click on the link below to read more. Thank you

The creators of the Petya and Mischa ransomware programs leaked around 3,500 RSA private keys allegedly corresponding to systems infected with another ransomware program called Chimera.

07/26/2016

I guess it’s easy to take for granted everything we do with devices connected to the internet. I never had a clue that that this much of world’s population isn’t connected to the internet in some way.
Frank

More than half the world is still offline
By Stephen Lawson

While it may seem like half the world is chasing Pokemon right now, the other half is not even on the Internet.

About 3.9 billion people, or 53 percent of the population, will still be offline at the end of this year, the International Telecommunication Union estimates. Even in Europe, the most connected region, 20.9 percent of all people aren’t online. In Africa, the least connected continent, 74.9 percent are offline.

Read more at http://www.itnews.com/article/3099142/more-than-half-the-world-is-still-offline.html?token=%23tk.ITN_nlt_ITnews_Daily_2016-07-25&idg_eid=2181ed3ecfe5e3ad5dff19ffc513a5c6&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ITnews%20Daily%202016-07-25&utm_term=ITnews_Daily

While it may seem like half the world is chasing Pokemon right now, a majority of the world’s population doesn’t even use the internet. About 3.9 billion people, or 53 percent of the population, will still be offline at the end of this year, the International Telecommunication Union estimates.