Latest opinions that Robert Siciliano has shared on Finextra

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Robert Siciliano

Security Analyst

Safr.me

Member since

04 Feb 2009

Location

Boston

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Robert's opinions

WARNING: You or Your Members Could be Targets of List Scams

There are scammers out there targeting conference exhibitors and attendee. What are they looking for? Credit card numbers, money wires and personal information that they can use to steal identities. One of the ways that scammers get this information is by using invitation or list scams. Basically, if you are registered for a conference, speaking a...

23 May 2019 /security

How to Protect Your identity When Buying or Selling a Home

If you are in the process of buying or selling a home, at some point, you are going to have to disclose personal information when you go through the process. Because of this, a home buyer, especially, is much more likely to become a victim of identity theft. Here are some ways to protect your identity when buying or selling a new home: Ask if Comm...

21 May 2019 /security

Youra Sheethed: My Dalliance Scambaiting a Nigerian Con

I put an ad on Craigslist to sell a refrigerator that I no longer need. Within a few minutes I’m happy to report Micheal responded to buy it! SCAMMER: Hi am Micheal I like to ask if this item is till available for sale and what the present condition it. ME: Still for sale, someone is interested tho, its like new, 5 months. SCAMMER: Thanks for the...

16 May 2019 /security

The Mother of All Data Breaches - It Could Be Here

You have probably heard of one data breach after another these days, but this is one that you should really pay attention to: more than 772 million unique emails, along with more than 21 million unique passwords, have been exposed. Troy Hunt, who runs the website “Have I Been Pwned,” first reported this breach, and he says that a huge file (87 GB)...

16 May 2019 /security

Want to be a Cybercriminal? Try Facebook

When you think of a cybercriminal, you probably picture someone in a black hoodie in a dark room on the dark web, but most cybercriminals are out there in plain sight, including on Facebook. Talos, a cybersecurity firm, found that people can easily join Facebook groups, and then participate in cybercrime including buying and selling credit card in...

02 May 2019 /security

New Phone Scam Scares with Social Security Sham

We all get scam phone calls, but the newest one is meant to scare. When you pick up the phone, you get a message that your Social Security number is suspended due to suspicious activity, and then prompts the victim to speak with an agent to get help. The FTC makes something very clear: your Social Security number cannot be suspended for any reason...

30 April 2019 /security

How Smart Speakers Are Exposing Cheaters!

Did you know your home’s smart speaker can land you a divorce? And quickly. The nation’s top security consultants, including myself, agree that smart devices now contain enough of your personal information to know if you’re participating in a secret relationship. Americans are becoming more concerned with the lack of privacy associated with “smart...

25 April 2019 /security

Second Hand USB's Could Have Personal Info Still Inside

An unsurprising study was recently released that found even when a portable USB drive is erased, not all of the documents and images are always removed. That, of course, is frightening. Here’s how the research was done: Researchers went online to sites like eBay, to second-hand shops, and even auction stores. They bought 200 used USB drives, half ...

25 April 2019 /security

Facebook in the Spotlight Once Again for a Massive Data Breach

It’s a new day, so you should expect news about another data breach—again, with Facebook. According to research, tons of Facebook user data was recently exposed on cloud computing servers owned by Amazon. According to UpGuard, a cybersecurity firm, it is believed that Facebook app developers store the data on the servers, but they did so in a way ...

23 April 2019 /security

FTC Brings Office Depot Fines and a Strong Warning to Other Companies

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that Office Depot, along with a tech support firm, must come up with $35 million to settle a lawsuit over claims that both organizations were part of a computer repair service scam, which involved a fake malware scan. In the FTC complaint, it was stated that Office Depot, OfficeMax, and Support.com ran...