Tag Archive for: Stop

Browser Mistakes Tech Experts Say You Should Stop Making To Protect Your Device From Hackers And Viruses

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You may spend more time thinking about your apps these days — which apps are more likely to sell your data, which apps are killing your battery power, etc. But your browsers like Safari and Google Chrome may continue to fly under the radar a bit more. If you’re like most of us, you may take advantage of your browsers and assume they’re just there and that they require zero maintenance or thought. But this isn’t the entire truth. 

What you aren’t doing to your browser could be contributing to putting you at greater risk for hackers and viruses. Tech experts say these are the top browser mistakes you should stop making. 

Not Updating Your Browser

Browsers are similar to apps in that both need to be updated whenever updates become available. Your browser may show signs of little issues, like bugs, that can make it more vulnerable to hackers and viruses. App developers will release updates when they discovered problems with the apps, and downloading these updates can ensure your app is safer and more secure. If a browser update becomes available, make sure you download it ASAP.

Saving Passwords In Your Browser

 

At first, it seems like an extreme convenience. Your browser offers to save your passwords, and what could go wrong? At worst, this will allow you to not have to keep track of yet another complex password. But think of this from the perspective of a hacker who gains entry into your phone or computer — you’ve handed them your most important passwords on a silver platter when you save them in your browser. Even if a website asks to save your password in your browser, don’t give into the temptation.

Never Clearing Your Cookies and Cache

 

Your browser can get loaded down fast with information from websites that it stores in its cookies and cache. Although this isn’t an immediate security problem or one that leaves you more vulnerable to hackers, not clearing your cache can result in glitches when you visit certain sites and it can slow your device down. Resolve this by clearing your cache in Safari by going to Safari > Preferences > Advanced tab > Preferences > Empty Cache. On Chrome, go to More > Clear Browsing Data.

 

Keep these three browser mistakes in mind when…

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Stop that hack: Cybersecurity tips for individuals and small businesses

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Big casinos aren’t the only ones that stand to lose from a cyberattack.

“It is inevitable,” says Russell Short, owner of Las Vegas-based cybersecurity company SYN Cyber.

“With the advent of AI technology, that’s going to help [hackers] craft more sophisticated phishing emails. And that’s the number one way of getting in,” he explains, adding that the popularity of working from home also brings new network vulnerabilities to businesses.

Short’s company is a managed service provider that helps with network and cloud security, IT support and security awareness training. He shared a few tips to protect yourself and your business from getting hacked.

Know how to spot phishing and bad links

The No. 1 method of attack is phishing, Short says, which is why awareness is so important. Phishing is a form of social engineering that attempts to get users to give up personal information or click a link that contains malware. It can take the form of an email that appears to be from a legitimate sender, a phone call or text.

Even when surfing the web, users should always verify that a link will take them where they want to go.

“Say you’re looking for espn.com, or Amazon. It’s good to hover over the link and then in the bottom left corner, it’ll show the URL you’re going to. Double-verify to make sure that it is indeed going to amazon.com and not ‘amaz0n’ with a zero instead of an O, or misspelled words.”

The same goes for a link in an email—verify that it will take you where you want to go by hovering over the link and looking at the bottom left corner of the screen.

Strong passwords

You’d be surprised just how easy it is to hack an account with a weak password, Short says. Certified Ethical Hackers like SYN Cyber have tools that can be used to test the strength of passwords: “If they have a weak password—just a dictionary word and a number and one exclamation point—we crack those in under two seconds.”

Short recommends having a password with 10-15 characters that is not a dictionary word and has upper and lowercase characters and numbers. “If you remember your passwords, they’re not strong enough,” he says, adding that people should not recycle…

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Deforest police seeking man who fled traffic stop

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Critical components of U.S. infrastructure, including hospitals and power plants, are increasingly connected to the internet and are at risk of exploitation from cybercriminals lurking in the world’s darkest corners.

And one specific kind of malware attack has leaders in the private and public sectors sounding the alarm over the last two years: ransomware.

Twingate collected data from the FBI’s 2021 Internet Crime Report to show which infrastructure sectors were most often targeted by ransomware attacks. 2021 was the first year in which the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center began tracking ransomware incidents in sectors considered critical infrastructure.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 649 reports of ransomware incidents targeting critical infrastructure in 2021. In a memo in the latest report, FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate described the increase in cyberattacks seen last year—not only in infrastructure sectors but overall—as “unprecedented.”

The FBI defines critical infrastructure as assets or systems that “are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on our security, national economy, public health or safety.”

Dozens of attacks last year were leveled at government entities, leading the National Association of State Chief Information Officers to name ransomware its top cybersecurity concern in 2021.

But the frequency of ransomware incidents was even more pronounced in the health care, financial services, and information technology sectors, which saw the most recorded attacks of any other infrastructure sector last year, according to the FBI. The military and defense sector reported the fewest incidents, with just one ransomware attack in 2021.

And these culprits aren’t always lone wolf operations seeking the biggest payout. Most ransomware attacks can be linked to state actors who would harbor more motives than financial gain in sponsoring ransomware attacks. Crypto-tracking company Chainalysis reported that most ransomware payments eventually went to Russian-linked hackers.

The FBI recommends updating operating systems and software, implementing…

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‘Whatsapp Pink’ Scam Can Steal Your Sensitive Data: Police Issues Alert & Warning (How To Stop This Scam?) – Trak.in

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A circulating WhatsApp message offers a link to download a pink-themed version of the app, known as ‘WhatsApp Pink.’ However, it has been discovered that ‘WhatsApp Pink’ is a harmful app designed to steal sensitive data, including banking information, OTPs, photos, and contacts.

'Whatsapp Pink' Scam Can Steal Your Sensitive Data: Police Issues Alert & Warning (How To Stop This Scam?)

WhatsApp Pink Scam

The ‘WhatsApp Pink Scam,’ a deceptive scheme, was initially exposed by internet security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia in April 2021. Subsequently, the Mumbai Police Cyber Crime Wing issued a Twitter alert, offering guidance on how to defend against these scams. 

To shield oneself from such fraudulent activities, it is essential to exclusively obtain and install applications from reliable sources like the Google Play Store. Apple users, in particular, benefit from added protection as Apple limits installations to trusted sources.

Protect Yourself from WhatsApp Pink Scam and Uninstall the Malicious App

Furthermore, it is important to refrain from installing apps from unfamiliar websites or APKs sent by unknown individuals. The ‘Forwarded’ label on WhatsApp messages can be useful in determining whether the message originated from a trusted source.

To remove WhatsApp Pink from your device, start by disconnecting any suspicious devices from the ‘Linked devices’ section in WhatsApp. The security researcher mentioned that WhatsApp Pink may conceal itself from the list of installed apps. If you encounter this issue, navigate to the ‘Apps’ section in your phone’s settings, locate ‘WhatsApp Pink’ with the pink logo, and select the uninstall option. It is worth noting that some malicious apps may not have a visible name in the app list, so be sure to remove any unidentified apps as well.

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