Tag Archive for: Here’s

Boost Your Online Security: Here’s Why You Should Install an Ad Blocker Today : Tech : Tech Times

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By Quincy Jon, Tech Times

New research reveals ad blockers’ unexpected importance in malicious software prevention. 

Recent findings show how spyware makers employ banner advertisements for government surveillance. Innovators in ad-based spyware distribution include European firm Intellexa, which created Predator. 

Documents showing Intellexa’s 2022 Aladdin proof-of-concept system was received by Haaretz. The papers indicate that Aladdin used internet job advertising to install phone spyware on graphic designers and campaigners, according to a TechCrunch report.

Malvertising: How Does It Work?

Aladdin’s growth and clients are unknown, but Insanet, an Israeli company, has created an ad-based infection system that can identify persons in advertising networks.

Ad exchanges are crucial to websites’ income, but unscrupulous actors use them to spread destructive malware to consumers’ devices. Malvertising, which uses user input to execute its payload, threatens online security and privacy.

Government surveillance can target dissenters with surreptitious spyware due to pervasive web advertising. Ad blockers prevent web browser advertising from loading, protecting against malvertising and ad-based malware.

In Feburary, FBI Director Christopher Wray has stressed the agency’s attention on Chinese attempts to enter computer networks with harmful malware, increasing fears about disrupting crucial US infrastructure, per the Financial Times.

After the Munich Security Conference, Wray worried about malware “pre-positioning” after the dismantling of the Volt Typhoon, a Chinese hacking network that targeted American infrastructure like the electricity grid and water supply and other global targets.

Read Also: Security Engineer Faces 3-Year Prison Sentence After $12 Million Crypto Heist

“We’re laser-focused on this as a real threat and working with a lot of partners to identify, anticipate, and disrupt it,” Wray said, emphasizing the need for caution.

Volt Typhoon is a notable instance, but Wray warned that it is simply one of several Chinese…

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Hackers out to get you? Here’s 5 tips to stay ahead

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“In today’s connected world, it is a matter of when rather than if you will experience someone trying to hack you.” – Cybersecurity experts.

Your mobile gadgets may be your pride and joy, but for cybercriminals, they’re gold-in-transit.

Truth is, technology has simplified our lives, making it easy to communicate with people from all corners of the globe, but it has also left us vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Think about it, your cell phone contains nearly every detail of your life – your pictures, personal information, and even your banking credentials.

Having control of your admin at your fingertips may be convenient, but guess who else appreciates the ease of access – the guy on the world-wide-web eagerly waiting for a chance to pounce.

ALSO READ: How the ‘get to know me’ social media challenge could end in tears

‘It’s only a matter of time’

“In today’s connected world, it is a matter of when rather than if you will experience someone trying to hack you.

“With cybercriminals becoming more sophisticated in their attempts, it is possible that at some point or another you may interact with a scammer or click on a phishing link,” said Kaspersky, a cybersecurity firm.

Since we’ve reached the point of no return when it comes to the use of technology, the only option available is to beef up our online security.

Kaspersky shared useful tips to apply as you navigate your way in the digital era.

Don’t give any more information

Cell phone usage has become somewhat a thoughtless exercise, with users paying less attention as they scroll on the Internet.

Kaspersky cautioned Internet users against giving away their information online.

“If something feels ‘off’ about a website you are led to after clicking a link, asking for your name, email, phone number, or bank card information, close it immediately.”

Criminals have also been increasingly attempting to scam people via phone calls, often asking for personal information.

“If you are talking to someone on the phone, and the conversation seems even just a little strange, hang up immediately and do not answer if they call back.

“And if you…

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AI hacking scams are on the rise – here’s how to protect your money, points and miles

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In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission received 2.6 million fraud reports totaling $10 billion lost to scams, the highest annual loss ever reported. Of those reports, the overwhelming majority were imposter scams where a fraudster impersonates a bank’s fraud department, the government, a business, a relative, a love interest or a technical support representative.

As artificial intelligence becomes easier to access and more sophisticated, it is quickly rising through the ranks as an effective way for scammers to gain access to your accounts, draining them of money or points and miles.

The FTC is actively seeking to thwart AI-generated so-called deepfakes by enacting a rule prohibiting the impersonation of individuals. A deepfake is an image or video that has been digitally manipulated using a form of AI called deep learning. This technology allows fraudsters to make it appear as if someone is saying or doing something that never happened.

This would be an extension of an existing rule against impersonating businesses or government officials.

In fact, the FTC issued a consumer alert last year warning people against scammers who use AI to clone a loved one’s voice in an attempt to have you send them money. Not only can they impersonate the voice of someone you know, but they can also use AI to generate fake images to make their story more convincing.

How is AI being used by scammers?

“Someone could impersonate your child’s voice and tell you that they are out of town, lost their phone and need money right away,” Adrianus Warmus, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, told TPG. “They can then use an AI tool to scrape that person’s Facebook or Instagram and create an image that ‘proves’ it’s really them reaching out to you from wherever they say they are,” he explained.

LIUBOMYR VORONA/GETTY IMAGES

Playing to your emotions is not the only way scammers use AI technology to separate you from your money and travel funds.

Related: How and why you should use a VPN internet connection while traveling

Scammers can also use AI to spoof an email address. “It’s possible to impersonate or take over an email address and use AI to even impersonate someone’s writing style to make it sound convincing,” Jeff Reich,…

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Here’s a VPN Travel Hack That Will Let You Watch Your Netflix Shows From Abroad

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Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action. That is where The Tech Edvocate comes in. We plan to cover the PreK-12 and Higher Education EdTech sectors and provide our readers with the latest news and opinion on the subject. From time to time, I will invite other voices to weigh in on important issues in EdTech. We hope to provide a well-rounded, multi-faceted look at the past, present, the future of EdTech in the US and internationally.

We started this journey back in June 2016, and we plan to continue it for many more years to come. I hope that you will join us in this discussion of the past, present and future of EdTech and lend your own insight to the issues that are discussed.

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