Tag Archive for: safe

Belt and braces: Safe Internet practices for businesses

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Man working in an office at a computer. — Photo: © Tim Sandle

Social media has been at the forefront of our lives for decades, influencing our daily routines and shaping how we live our lives.  There were approximately 4.48 billion people worldwide being active on social media last year.

While there are benefits from sing social media, there are also negative implications for users. From leaking private data, online hacking, cyberbullying, and contributing to low mental health and self-esteem, these issues are seemingly becoming more common.

For Safer Internet Day, the digital resource provider Virtual College by Netex provides an assessment from cybercrime and Internet safety expert, Stuart Hyde QPM focusing on social media apps.

Hyde explains in a statement to Digital Journal: “It’s easier to lose a sense of security and safety online than in the physical world. Online, it’s not easy to spot how safe you are. You can become at risk with any app – big or small, so you need to have a good idea of where your information is at all times.”

Hyde highlights the dangers associated with particular types of social media applications, and how the ways in which a user can inadvertently cause potential harm. For this he selects three examples.

BeReal

BeReal is classed as one of the fastest-growing social media apps in the world. The social media app is centered around individuals posting unfiltered photos of their activities and themselves once each day, with a front-facing camera and back-facing camera shot taken simultaneously.

These images can be shared with a group of friends, whom a user can select on the platform to choose who can view and react to their daily images. Hence ‘Being Real’ can have serious consequences.

For example, if a user receives the random notification to ‘Be Real’ while at work, they may find themselves taking pictures of private work information from their employer or clients without realizing it, such as on their computer screen.

Strava and Fitness Tracking Apps

With more than 100 million users recorded in May of 2022, Strava has arguably become one of the public’s most popular and trusted platforms for tracking runs, cycle rides, and…

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This info-stealing malware is hiding in downloads for popular apps — how to stay safe

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Downloading new apps on your computer is usually a simple and straightforward process, but you now need to be extra careful when doing so as hackers have begun impersonating popular apps to spread malware.

According to a new blog post (opens in new tab) from the cybersecurity firm Cyble, hackers have begun using phishing pages designed to impersonate a number of popular apps online. While a user may think they’re downloading a widely used app, they’re actually installing malware on their computer.

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Is Your Email Safe From Potential Hackers? Here’s How To Find Out

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If you think about how many emails you send and receive every day you may be shocked to learn that a big chunk of your daily life revolves around email. Given its importance, you’ll want to protect your email account and keep it as safe from hackers as possible. “As we all know, keeping our personal information and online accounts secure is more important than ever,” says Tech Expert Jessica Shee, manager at tech company iBoysoft. “With so much of our daily lives happening over email, it’s crucial to know how to tell if your email is safe from hackers and what steps you can take to keep it that way.”

Shee outlines a few major ways you can check whether your email has already been hacked — and some preventative steps you can take to make sure your account is as secure, private, and safe from prying eyes as possible. 

Check If Your Email Is Currently Secure

Is your email account secure at the moment? There are a few ways to check. 

“One easy way is to look for the ‘https’ in the website address or a padlock icon in your browser when you log in to your email,” Shee said. “This indicates that your connection is encrypted and secure. You can also check your account settings to make sure you have two-factor authentication enabled. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a code to be sent to your phone or another device in addition to your password.”

Another thing Shee suggests doing is regularly checking your sent items and trash folders for emails that you didn’t send. “This can indicate your account has been compromised and you should change your password immediately,” Shee said. 

Preventative Measures 

Even if everything looks solid and secure in your email account today, it’s not a bad idea to take preventative measures that can help keep future hacking attempts at bay. 

“First and foremost, use a strong and unique password for your email account,” Shee said. “Avoid using personal information such as your name, birthdate, or address, and mix letters, numbers, and symbols to make it harder for hackers to crack. Another good practice is to be cautious when opening email from unknown senders,…

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How safe is your Mac?

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If you think using an Apple computer protects you from viruses and malware, think again, writes Colin Tankard, Managing Director, Digital Pathways.

Apple stopped their marketing phrase ‘we don’t get viruses’ in 2012, which was an admission that Mac computers can get viruses.

It is true that macOS is more secure in many ways than Windows OS, and with lower market share, it makes developing malware less attractive due to the return on investment. But all Macs are still vulnerable to many viruses and malware, and it is a growing problem.

A study by Atlas VPN in 2021 found that the development of macOS malware surged by 1,092% in 2020. This equated to 674,273 new malware samples as compared to 56,556 detected in 2019. Malware, or malicious software, is a collective term for all kinds of threats. Microsoft lumps malware into thirteen distinct categories: backdoors, downloaders, droppers, exploits, hack tools, macro viruses, obfuscators, password stealers, ransomware, rogue security software, trojans, trojan clickers, and worms. The report showed that the development of malicious software for Apple’s macOS, was spreading like wildfire and amounted to an historic high, a trend which the 2022 report indicates is continuing, which is scary. Hackers are clearly shifting their sights onto Mac computers.

Another dent in the Mac security argument was the alert from Apple about the vulnerability in Safari that allowed attackers to take complete control of the device. One of the software weaknesses affected the kernel, the deepest layer of the operating system. The other affected WebKit, the underlying technology of the Safari web browser. Apple’s explanation of the vulnerability meant a hacker could get ‘full admin access to the device’ so that they can ‘execute any code as if they are the user’.

Although a ‘fix’ was quickly released, Apple, like any other operating system, relies mostly on the user applying the patch, which in many cases is delayed or forgotten, extending the risk to the endpoint.

Until the fix was released, the vulnerabilities will have been classed as ‘zero-day’ bugs because a fix was available for them for zero…

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