679 Results
Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me
If I ever strived to be a dumb criminal I’d want to be Timothy James Chapek, 24 years old from Portland, Ore. This cat breaks into a home and jumps in the shower when the woman who lived there came home. The kid locked the bathroom door and called 911. From the 911 call: “I just broke into a house and the owners came home…I think they have guns,” h...
21 March 2011 /security /regulation
Passwords are the bane of the security community. We are forced to rely on them, while knowing they’re only as secure as our operating systems, which can be compromised by spyware and malware. There are a number of common techniques used to crack passwords. Dictionary attacks: These rely on software that automatically plugs common words into passwo...
19 March 2011 /security /regulation
Internet criminals follow a similar editorial calendar as newspaper and magazine editors, coordinating their attacks around holidays, and the change in seasons. They further capitalize on significant events and natural disasters. Japans earthquake is a biggie. Whenever a natural disaster hits normal people get an urge to help those in distress. Our...
17 March 2011 /security /regulation
Near Field Communications, or NFC, is the exchange of information between two devices via wireless signal. For example, a wireless signal emitting from your cell phone can act as a credit card when making a purchase. This year, over 70 million mobile phones will be manufactured and sold with NFC built in. NFC can be used in other ways beyond credi...
Our culture deemphasizes individual responsibility. In my mind, life begins when you begin taking responsibility for everything in your life. Personal security is fundamentally your own responsibility and, while you may not be responsible for a crime happening to you, you are the one in the best position to prevent it. In the last decade, as much ...
13 March 2011 /security /regulation
Cases of stolen tax returns have surged over the past five years, leaving many identity theft victims struggling to recoup their lost refunds. Approximately 155 million tax forms are filed annually. This provides identity thieves with an opportunity to come out of the woodwork and steal from Americans who are just trying to pay their taxes correctl...
10 March 2011 /security /regulation
What do you do when you are picked up in a cab and the driver suspects your home will be vacant while you are gone? The Manchester Evening News reports “A BUNGLING burglar went to the same ATM more than 50 times – to try and guess the PIN numbers of bank cards he had stolen. He thought he might strike it lucky if he kept on putting in random sets o...
08 March 2011 /security /regulation
In July of 2007 on a hot summer night a serial killer was arrested after he broke into a 15-year-old girl’s room in Chelmsford Massachusetts in the middle of the night and tried to rape her. The girl’s father heard her scream and held the masked and gloved Lane in a headlock until police arrived, authorities said. At the victims’ home, the killer...
07 March 2011 /security /regulation
Cloning occurs when hackers scan the airwaves to obtain SIM card information, electronic serial numbers and mobile identification numbers, and then using that data on other phones. Cloning can happen anywhere, anytime that you’re using your phone. The bad guy simply uses an interceptor, hardware, and software to make a phone exactly like yours. A f...
05 March 2011 /security /regulation
Did you know there is a setting on LinkedIn where they will email your entire contact list in your behalf to let everyone know about a new position you have taken with a company? I didnt. Until I got all kinds of “Congratulations” in my inbox. Apparently there is a new setting that by default is left “On” which in fact tells all your contacts that...
04 March 2011 /security /regulation
Welcome to Finextra. We use cookies to help us to deliver our services. You may change your preferences at our Cookie Centre.
Please read our Privacy Policy.