Ransomware in The News

What is Ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malware that uses encryption or outright theft to hold data hostage.  Data is encrypted and sometimes stolen with the threat of public release.  A payment is then demanded to unlock files and or delete the stolen copy of the...

Latest Email Scam

Email Scam Happening Now I am shining a light on this scam in the hopes that you can avoid becoming a victim. The goal of the scammers is to gain access to your email account and create all kinds of havoc, starting with propagating the scam for the purpose of...

CHANGING THE DEFAULT WORDPRESS USERNAME

WordPress is a great blogging software.  It comes pretty much ready to use right out of the box.  Whether you use it on a hosted site or you have set it up yourself using the scripts.  There is a security problem built in that has been there for some time.  The...

BACKUP YOUR COMPUTER TO BACKUP YOUR LIFE

What’s on your computer may not really be your life, but for most of us it is the slideshow or video of our life.  Think about all the files you keep on your computer: work files, important personal files such as taxes, pictures of your kids being born and growing up,...

WIFI SECURITY, PIGGYBACKING AND CANTENNA’S

Is Your WiFi Network Secure? If you have a WiFi network, and let’s face it who doesn’t, WiFi security is important to you.  Most people believe their WiFi connection is secure, but from my experience, some of them aren’t.   Most SOHO (Small Office Home Office) routers...

IS YOUR EMAIL SECURE?

Email Security: Revelation that the NSA has been looking at more emails than they probably should be raises the issue of how secure are your emails?  This will be a multi-part blog about different methods of communication.  If you happen to be reading this from...

IS TEXTING SECURE?

Origins of Texting Texting has become the go-to method of communication for a lot of people.  SMS stands for Short Message Service and development on the standards began in the early 1980’s.  For more about this, see Wikipedia.  The first text message ever sent was in...

ZERO DAY EXPLOITS

What is a Zero Day Exploit? Simply put a zero day exploit is a software vulnerability that is found by hackers before the software creator.  They can be the worst kind of security hole as they can be exploited until the software creator is made aware and can fix the...

MALWARE THREATS

What is Malware and How do I Avoid It? Malware:   (short for malicious software) is an all-encompassing word for undesirable software used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain illegal access to computer systems....

MALWARE THREATENS DATA SECURITY

“Why Would Small Businesses Be a Target for Malware?” Malware threats are everywhere.  Working with various small businesses a statement I hear too frequently is “We don’t have anything anyone would want”  or “I don’t care if we get hacked.”  Both of these make me...