Ransomware, Phishing and Cyberattacks Scare Business

A guest post from Glen Lowe

In today’s business world, hackers and cyberattacks threats are now considered one of the leading risks for any business around the world. According to a survey, business CEOs, brokers, insurance experts and risk managers list cyber-attacks as their biggest worry today compared to 15 years ago when cyber-attacks ranked 15th as a business risk.

The cost of ransomware is one of the greatest concern for business executives today. These costs have rapidly increased and so have business email attacks, also referred to as phishing attacks. Once the hackers gain access to business websites and files, customer data and investor details most at risk. This results in expensive litigation fees from clients and investors affected by the attack. For this reason, businesses are advised to ensure their cybersecurity measures are up to date.

Mergers and acquisitions can also cause possible security threats. This is especially common when a company invests in a business that has poor cyber security measures or existing vulnerabilities. The investing company becomes liable to any data breach that occurs before the merger or compromises its own system from merging with the bought business.

Today, ransomware, phishing and cyber-attacks are increasingly targeting large companies using sophisticated attacks and expensive extorting demands. Today, a typical ransomware demand can run in the tunes of millions of dollars, which is enough to bankrupt some companies.

Cyber-attacks are a growing concern for small and large businesses in the U.S. economy. In 2018, the cost of cybercrime had reached 2.7 billion dollars. There is a need for companies and businesses to invest their time and resources in protecting their businesses.

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Setting up Firefox for Privacy

A guest posting by Andy J from his blog at doug.ee

My browser of choice for privacy is Firefox. There are browsers that are privacy and security focused, but I decided to stick with Firefox with some privacy add-ons (extensions) and some tweaking to the settings. Out of the box Firefox respects your privacy and security, with a few tweaks and add-ons you can improve the security of your browsing. In this article I will show you how to make use of these to help protect yourself.

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Browser Fingerprinting. What Is It and What Should You Do About It?

A guest post from the Pixel Privacy Blog.  

Read the original post here

 

Have you ever heard of browser fingerprinting? It’s okay if you haven’t, since almost nobody else has ever heard of it, either.

Browser fingerprinting is an incredibly accurate method of identifying unique browsers and tracking online activity.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to wipe all of your fingerprints from the internet. But first, let’s start by exploring what, exactly, browser fingerprinting is.

Browser Fingerprinting: What Is It?

Browser fingerprinting is defined on Wikipedia as follows:

“A device fingerprint, machine fingerprint or browser fingerprint is information collected about a remote computing device for the purpose of identification. Fingerprints can be used to fully or partially identify individual users or devices even when cookies are turned off.”

That means that, when you connect to the internet on your laptop or smartphone, your device will hand over a bunch of specific data to the receiving server about the websites you visit.

Browser fingerprinting is a powerful method that websites use to collect information about your browser type and version, as well as your operating system, active plugins, timezone, language, screen resolution and various other active settings.

These data points might seem generic at first and don’t necessarily look tailored to identify one specific person. However, there’s a significantly small chance for another user to have 100% matching browser information. Panopticlick found that only 1 in 286,777 other browsers will share the same fingerprint as another user.

Websites use the information provided by browsers to identify unique users and track their online behavior. This process is therefore called “browser fingerprinting.”

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ProtonMail: How to create a strong password

A guest post from the ProtonMail Blog

You probably already know some obvious password safety tips, like don’t use “password” as your password. But did you know that a password like “Ch@ll3ng3r%$” is not much more secure? Sure, it mixes upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters, like you’re often advised to do when creating a password for a new account. And yet a hacker could crack it using a dictionary attack in an hour or two. “Challenger” is a common base word, and the modifications are too simplistic to fool most hackers.

You may be thinking that no hacker would bother attacking you personally, and you’re probably right. The danger is not that a hacker will target you, but rather that your password will be part of a larger data breach. If you use a weak password, hackers can extract it from the database along with all the other weak passwords.

Therefore, your goal is to create a password that will be difficult for a hacker with a powerful computer to crack, while also being simple enough to memorize. This article will explain exactly how to do that, as well as offer some advice on what to do with your strong password once you’ve thought of it. But first it’s helpful to understand a bit about how online services use passwords to manage account access and how hackers can steal your credentials.

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Steps To Keep Your iPhone Secure

A guest post from Reprocity Labs

For a long time, the iPhone has boasted the title of being the most secure mass-produced smartphone. Since Apple has a team that is ever dedicated to the security of their devices, it reduces the chances of a data breach affecting multiple users. This is one of the reasons why companies have preferred using it as well as why it has warmed the hearts of some of its loyal users.

However, the fact that it has security measures in place doesn’t mean that it is impossible to hack. In fact, recent findings by Google warn that iPhone users might put their data at risk by visiting specific websites that are created for the sole purpose of hacking into iPhone systems. Since hackers love a challenge, this isn’t the only isolated attack aimed at bringing down the smartphone. If you are an iPhone user, or your business relies on it for its daily operations, you need to be careful with how you use it to protect your data.

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The ProtonMail guide to taking control of your online privacy

A guest post from the ProtonMail Blog

Written by Find the original posting here

Updated July 2019

Improve your online privacy with this comprehensive guide, developed by the ProtonMail team. Here, we’ll help you determine your threat model and take steps to achieve online privacy that meets your needs.

Total Internet privacy is impossible, but you can get close by adjusting your online behavior — and a few of your privacy settings. This guide is designed to help you with simple, practical solutions to keep prying eyes away from your personal information.

Many Internet privacy guides promote unrealistic solutions, like using Tor all the time (which will slow your Internet) or communicating only through Signal encrypted messenger (which is useless unless your contacts are using it too). While such technologies provide a high level of privacy, they may not be necessary under your personal threat model. In other words, you probably don’t need to take the same privacy precautions as a Turkish dissident or an NSA whistleblower. And the best privacy recommendations can be counterproductive if you burn out following them, like one writer for Slate did.

So, in this guide to Internet privacy, we’ll show you how to understand your own threat model, followed by some practical steps you can take. Each of the sections has a simple recommendation you can follow to increase your online privacy. This page is designed to be a handy, ongoing resource rather than a quick checklist, so consider bookmarking this page to come back to it later when you need a refresher.

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Essential Apple Podcast 122: Sometimes bad news is all there is

This week Simon had trouble with iCloud, Facebook and Google had trouble with Apple, and Apple had trouble with FaceTime. Serious criminals are tapping into the phone system backbone to attack banks, governments continue to try and get into everyones chats, and the Internet of Things may be an even worse security threat than you ever imagined. Meanwhile guest Guy Serle of the MyMac podcast has problems of his own with some shelves, Apple’s “awful terrible no good very bad quarter” might be down on estimates but is still the second biggest quarter they ever had… but over all bad news is all there is.

GIVEAWAYS & OFFERS

  • Ghostery has gifted us 10x Ghostery “swag bags” to give away! First 10 out of the hat! Email me on essentialapple@sudomail.com with your postal address and preferred T Shirt size to be in with a chance…
  • One lucky listener can win a free entry to Dr Mac’s Working Smarter for Mac Users Video course (worth $500), and also we have one copy of the Working Smarter book to give away. As usual email essentialapple@sudomail.com with the subject Dr Mac and you will be entered into the draw.
  • Listeners of this show can claim $10 off purchases of Luminar and/or Aurora HD 2019 use the coupon code EssentialApple at checkout for your extra discount!

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!
We can now also be found on Spotify, Soundcloud and even YouTube.

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The Apple T2 Chip and Your Security

A Comment by @Dougee

 

In December 2017 Apple released hardware with the new T2 chip technology. It is found on the iMac Pro, 2018 Mac Mini, 2018 MacBook Air, and the 2018 MacBook Pro models.

The T2 integrated several other controllers including the System Management Controller (SMC), image signal processor that works with FaceTime HD, audio controller, Touch ID, Touch Bar, and SSD controller.

From a security perspective the T2 is really quite interesting. The T2 contains a Secure Enclave that provides the platform for Touch ID, Encrypted Storage and Secure Boot.

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Essential Apple Podcast 106: Teething toubles & falling down

Sorry it’s late – life and work kind of intervened… Also sorry about last week – neither Donny or I were feeling up to scratch so we decided that if we both felt ill it was best to just abandon it. Meanwhile the stories kept piling up – an awful lot of it “security and privacy’ related to be honest.
DONT FORGET THE JOE KISSELL OFFER… 30% any Take Control purchase before November 30th with this link 30% Off or use the code ESSENTIALAPPLE at checkout.
And just quick reminder that Indonesia was struck with a 7.7 earthquake resulting in a massive Tsunami… Please consider donating to a reputable aid agency if you can.
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter! We can now also be found on Spotify, Soundcloud and even YouTube.

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ProtonVPN: How to protect your personal data on public Wi-Fi

Airports, cafes, hotels – we are surrounded by free hotspots. While they are convenient, if you are not careful, public WiFi connections can put your device and personal data at risk to hackers. Here are some steps you can take to secure your connection and your personal data.

We have all done it: connected to a free public WiFi network we did not know to check emails, read the news, or scroll Instagram. What we often do not think about is that the same convenience that makes public WiFi so easy to use is also what makes it so attractive to hackers. Since most public WiFi services lack a strong password, they are vulnerable to a number of techniques that hackers can use to observe your online activity, collect your personal and financial data, or even break into your device.

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Essential Apple Podcast 104: Curse you 9 to 5 Mac!

This week I am joined by regular co-host Donny Yankellow to yet again try and avoid all the rumours and leakers as we approach the big event. But of course no one can have missed the 9to5 Mac “scoop” that has revealed at least two iPhones and the look of the new Apple watch. With speculation rife we try to find some other stories to talk about. A shorter than usual show unsurprisingly as we all await the big reveals (and hope 9 to 5 Mac haven’t ruined all the fun).
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter! We can now also be found on Spotify, Soundcloud and even YouTube.

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ProtonVPN: 12 mistakes that can get your data hacked – and how to avoid them

 

Posted on the ProtonVPN Blog – August 24th, 2018 by in Privacy, Security.

Whenever you store or transmit data online, there is a risk of getting hacked. However, there are actions you can take to protect yourself. Here are 12 common mistakes that can jeopardize your online data, along with simple fixes.

Along with the unprecedented convenience of the Internet has come the increasing risk of hacks and identity theft. Every day there are new examples of an individual or organization suffering a major cyber-attack, and each attack offers a warning to the rest of us. For instance, after the University of Michigan had three of its Facebook accounts hacked, they published a detailed breakdown of what happened. Their case study illustrates how one weakness can compromise an entire system.

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Essential Apple Podcast 93: Summertime Blues

The Essentially Interrupted Edition

For a change, I thought I would have a panel of guests and do a “round table” show. Everyone I asked seemed to be busy – England World Cup Game, Canadian Public Holidays, summertime family outings, vacations in the wilds – I thought I was going to be without any guests at all (hence the show title). Despite my initial fears however, I have garnered guests galore. I am pleased to welcome back Steve Hammond (@Stevehammond), Donny Yankellow (@rtteachr) and Nick Riley (@Spligosh) to help me delve into the multitude of stories that broke this week.
Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!

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Essential Apple Podcast 82: A Basket of Easter Treats

With Mark still on his vacation/birthday bender, Simon is joined by Slackroom member Suffolk Pete to talk over some of the week’s Apple and Tech stories. Whilst it has mostly been about Apple and the Field Trip Event and the new iPad with Pencil support there have been some other stories too!
Apple put out a host of updates. Cloudflare introduced a new free public DNS service, Microsoft want to monitor your language, the US want to check your social history and Uncle Tim would welcome privacy legislation.
Also Slack finally introduced sharable links so you don’t have to get a personalised invitation anymore. Now you can just click on this bit.ly/EAP_Slack instead!

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