Tag Archive for: monday

Learn “How to keep your computer (and you) safe at meeting Monday

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The next Orion program will take place at 7 p.m. Monday at the City Room (A-111) of the Coffey/McNally Building, Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge Campus. The program is open to the public. James A. Rome will speak on, “How to keep your computer (and you) safe.”

James "Jim" Rome

James “Jim” Rome

Rome received all his degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (and came to Oak Ridge in 1971, according to a news release. Personal computers were just starting to be available, and he teamed with George Kelley to write a scientific graphics program (GraphiC). He worked in Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Fusion Energy Division, specializing in configuration design and following charged particle orbits in fusion devices. After about 20 years he switched to the Computer Science and Mathematics Division, where he studied air traffic and compartmented mode (multi-level secure) workstations. He was in charge of ORNL computer security for the National Science Foundation’s TeraGrid, a Gbps network, connecting supercomputers and facilities at many universities. He also created a public key infrastructure to allow secure, encrypted logins and access to online Lab Notebooks.

Currently retired, he is president of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, and runs websites for Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, Friends of ORNL, Keep Anderson County Beautiful, and his own site at https://jamesrome.net/blogs. He has a fully-loaded Mac Studio, a Linux computer, a Windows computer, and a Windows laptop. He is agnostic about which is the best platform. Computer security is a passion.

A description of the talk follows.

Computer crime is a multi-trillion dollar “business” and it is important that you not be its victim. Unfortunately, this takes eternal vigilance and updating. “It is working, so leave well enough alone” does not work in these perilous times. Software must be updated weekly. Once a cell phone or computer no longer gets security patches, it must be replaced. Phishing and identity theft are the worst attack vectors. Even sophisticated users can fall into a trap. Social media prevent you from having full control. My Facebook and Twitter accounts direct people to my personal Web site. There really…

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Hackers changing tactics on Cyber Monday, seek your computer password

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Today is Cyber Monday and with all the online shopping comes hackers.

Cyber security company Check Point says this year, they’re especially seeing one type of email called shipping spoofing.

“If I know I didn’t buy anything from Louis Vuitton, I’m gonna know it’s a phishing email,” said Tony Sabaj, head of engineering with Check Point Software. “But everybody’s bought something online and it’s coming via USPS, DHL or FedEx in most cases, so I’m gonna be more likely to fall for a phishing attempt from a shipper than a retailer I may have never shopped at.”

One example claims to be from the postal service, but the actual email address is not from the postal service at all.

That’s the best and easiest way to spot these emails.

”And you can look at that by either mousing over the display name and it’ll show you the actual email address or on a mobile phone,” said Sabaj. “As I said before, I’ll just hit reply. That’s the easiest way to see what the email is. I won’t actually reply.”

He says hackers are either after your passwords or want to put malware on your computer.

So what should you do if you click on a link in one of these emails?

Check Point says to go to the real website the email was spoofing and change your password right away.

If you use that password on any other sites, change those too.

If you’re on a personal device, run a scan with whatever security software you use, and if this happened on a work device, report it right away to your corporate IT.

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How to avoid scams and theft during Cyber Monday shopping

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Cyber Monday can be the last chance to save big time on holiday shopping but it’s also a day for criminals to steal your identity and banking information if you are not careful shopping online.  

Simply clicking on a sketchy link or ad sent to you can be the difference between hackers getting access to your personal information. Although it’s convenient to shop online and get what you want instantly, cyber security specialists urge you to take extra time to know if the sites are legit.

In 2021, research by Adobe found Americans spent about $10.8 Billion on Cyber Monday shopping. But as more customers participate in this digital age of holiday shopping, criminals also get more opportunities.  

“This is one of the most exciting times of the year for everybody, including cybercriminals,” Professor Jonathan Weissman of Computer Security at RIT said. “You have to remain extra vigilant and aware of everything you’re going now because cyber criminals are waiting.”  

In this day and age, cybercriminals can get their websites promoted to the top of any search engine to look legit. If you have any suspicion, cyber security experts encourage you to open a new browser and re-type the business name and products to look for matching results.  

“When you click on a malicious link you could be redirected to a site that looks like the site you think you’re doing business with,” Professor Weissman continued. “When you enter your credentials, they go right to the cybercriminals.”  

Making purchases over a public Wi-Fi connection can also be dangerous.  

Professor Weissman added, “You run the risk of going to an attacker’s access point and connecting to their network thinking you’re on a legitimate network and in essence, you can actually transfer all your information directly to the attacker.”  

Email and text message phishing is also becoming a common tactic where hackers install malware or ransomware within digital gift cards or links. Experts explain legit businesses almost never reach out with these types of attachments.  

“Ransomware will encrypt and lock your system,” Professor Weissman…

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Walmart Cyber Monday: The Dyson V10 Absolute cordless vacuum is just $400 at Walmart, plus shop more Walmart Cyber Monday deals

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Dyson via Walmart


We found a Walmart Cyber Monday deal on a powerful cordless Dyson vacuum. The Dyson V10 Absolute cordless vacuum is just $400 during the retailer’s Cyber Monday deals event. 

The Dyson V10 Absolute cordless vacuum boasts the title of most powerful suction of any cord-free vacuum (tested to ASTM F558, against cord-free stick market). With a run time of up to 60 minutes when using a non-motorized tool, this lightweight cordless vacuum is engineered to pick up both large debris and fine dust. 

Dyson V10 Absolute Cordless Vacuum

Walmart


This cordless vacuum can easily be turned into a handheld one, and comes with a motorbar cleaner head, soft roller cleaner head, hair screw tool, crevice tool, combination tool, mini soft dusting brush and docking station.

“In my 40 years of cleaning, I’ve never had a vacuum so light weight that has the power that this machine has,” one reviewer raves. “I have a one-year old and can get all of my cleaning done while he’s asleep because it’s so quiet even when turned on max.”

Dyson V10 Absolute cordless vacuum, $400 (reduced from $600)

Walmart Deals for Days sale is entering its final week, with one last batch of must-see Cyber Monday deals going live Sunday, Nov. 27 at noon EST for Walmart+ members, and 7 p.m. EST for everyone else.

This week, you’ll be able to grab an Apple TV HD (32 GB) for $59, the Barbie Malibu House playset for $50  and a 50″ QLED Roku 4K TV for $288. That’s right, you can get a QLED television for under $300… while supplies last.

That “while supplies last” bit is important: Virtually all of Walmart’s early Black Friday deals sold out. So if you want to guarantee you’ll get Walmart’s best Cyber Monday deals, sign up for Walmart+ now. In addition to early access to these Cyber Monday deals, Walmart+ members get free two-day shipping on Walmart.com purchases, free same-day delivery from your local store (where available), discounts on prescription drugs and fuel, plus a free subscription to the Paramount+ streaming…

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