Tag Archive for: lesson

Trump administration is giving us a good lesson on Twitter security

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Several recent incidents involving U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration can teach users something about IT security — particularly about Twitter and what not to do with it.

It turns out that several White House-related Twitter accounts — including the president’s official account, @POTUS — until recently were revealing sensitive information that hackers might be able to exploit.

The problem revolves around the service’s password reset function. If the account holder doesn’t take certain steps to secure it, Twitter exposes information that anyone with the right skills can use to uncover what email address — in redacted form — was used to secure a Twitter account.

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Network World Security

Election Data Models Lesson for Cybersecurity

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If you are like me, you were pretty convinced that Secretary Clinton was poised to be the President elect.  Confidence in this opinion was based on reviewing numerous big data analytics models from the fivethirtyeight.com, the New York Times, Princeton, etc.  The lowest percentage gave Mrs. Clinton roughly a 65% chance of winning on November 8. 

So, what happened?  Every database jockey recognizes the old maxim of garbage in/garbage out.  In other words, killer algorithms and all the processing power in the world are rather useless if your model is built on the back of crappy data.  Obviously, all the brainiacs building these models made a critical mistake in not gathering data from disenfranchised white voters in rural areas.  The result?  A stunning election result and lots of eggs on ivy league elitist faces.

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Network World Security

EduCrypt ransomware teaches you a lesson about computer security – Neowin

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Neowin

EduCrypt ransomware teaches you a lesson about computer security
Neowin
Ransomware has been infamously known to be nasty pieces of malware that takes a computer's files hostage, and then demands a ransom, which can vary in cost. Countless variants have been discovered, which differ in how they are programmed, but all …

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Final lesson for graduating seniors: Surveillance cameras really are everywhere

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Whether you are of a criminal mind or merely a teenage mischief maker out to prank your school as graduation day nears, there needs to be a greater recognition of this simple fact of modern life: Surveillance cameras more ubiquitous than public restrooms, park benches and water fountains combined (caution: that’s a totally made-up fact but you get the idea.)

Sometimes this is good thing, sometimes it’s a bad thing, and sometimes it’s just a thing.  

From a story on PennLive:

A prank that included smearing petroleum jelly about a Snyder County high school will not prevent those responsible from attending Friday’s commencement.

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Network World Paul McNamara