Today's Miami Herald had an article about identity theft and hacking. The article discusses how simple it has become for hackers to locate and access wireless networks -whether thought to be secured, and password protected or not.
The story notes that a recent survey by the National Retail Federation showed that small merchants that have yet to suffer a breach, have a false sense of security: 72 percent of them believe the risk their company faces from a data compromise is low, or not possible, while 67 percent of merchants who have been breached call the risk high. Read MORE
Cyber crime continues to grow at an alarming rate. As criminals become more tech savvy we become more at risk. Are there measures we can take to protect our computers from being hacked?
Albert Whale from ABS Computer Technology, Inc. offers the below informative blog on computer security;
"Is your PC a Spy for Nasty Hackers?
Guest Blogger: Albert Whale, President and CEO
ABS Computer Technology, Inc.
Did you know that more people are victims of ID theft than of robbery, car theft, pick pocketing and blackmailing -- COMBINED?
Much of the ID theft today comes from the internet.
All your credit card data, all your passwords, all your accounts, emails,...it takes just a fraction of a second for hacker-programmed script to steal all these and upload them to the black market.
And it's rarely your fault...
Actually, you have very little control over it.
Imagine, you are searching Google for a new restaurant in town, you visit a website, you don't download a thing...and next thing you know, your credit card is blocked, police are at your door accusing you of a crime, and you have to PROVE you didn't commit it.
How's that possible?
"Zero-day exploits" are vulnerabilities that software manufacturers don't know about. For example, until recently, a bug in Internet Explorer enabled arbitrary code to be downloaded and executed from a website to your computer without you taking any action whatsoever; it can happen if you simply visit the website.
Are anti-virus, firewalls, anti-spam good solutions?
Yes and no. Yes, because they are better than nothing. No, for two reasons:
1) They do not protect you against new or custom-made viruses and evil-scripts, so you are always a step behind hackers.
And...
2) There is no all-inclusive online solution for ID theft protection.
There is no software that will do it all for you. None. Nada.
As an expert network security consultant and a co-founder of FBI's InfraGard team in Pittsburgh, I can tell you the key is in multi-layer protection. You shouldn't trust any one program to do it all for you. After years of fighting cyber crime, I finally found an ultimate solution. It is in the right combination of security tools. And no, I am not saying you should buy all the security stuff you can find on the internet. Actually, I have good news. All the tools you need for effective protection are actually free. You see, the key is not in the tools, it is in their setup. To learn more about what you can do to secure your PC -before it's too late, get in touch with me or visit us as ABS-comptech.com. You will find an array of available free information there.
Security on PCs has been described as being as efficient as a screen door in a submarine. Technically, it's a door, but it will never hold water. This year, make sure that you spend the necessary time required to secure your internet connections properly. If you cannot do it yourself, then please be sure to call someone who can. The connection that you secure can protect your personal information -and that of others!
For much more information on computer security and wireless safety, or to learn how to get a copy of my utilize Albert's the Guide, visit me at ABS-CompTech.com.
The story notes that a recent survey by the National Retail Federation showed that small merchants that have yet to suffer a breach, have a false sense of security: 72 percent of them believe the risk their company faces from a data compromise is low, or not possible, while 67 percent of merchants who have been breached call the risk high. Read MORE
Cyber crime continues to grow at an alarming rate. As criminals become more tech savvy we become more at risk. Are there measures we can take to protect our computers from being hacked?
Albert Whale from ABS Computer Technology, Inc. offers the below informative blog on computer security;
"Is your PC a Spy for Nasty Hackers?
Guest Blogger: Albert Whale, President and CEO
ABS Computer Technology, Inc.
Did you know that more people are victims of ID theft than of robbery, car theft, pick pocketing and blackmailing -- COMBINED?
Much of the ID theft today comes from the internet.
All your credit card data, all your passwords, all your accounts, emails,...it takes just a fraction of a second for hacker-programmed script to steal all these and upload them to the black market.
And it's rarely your fault...
Actually, you have very little control over it.
Imagine, you are searching Google for a new restaurant in town, you visit a website, you don't download a thing...and next thing you know, your credit card is blocked, police are at your door accusing you of a crime, and you have to PROVE you didn't commit it.
How's that possible?
"Zero-day exploits" are vulnerabilities that software manufacturers don't know about. For example, until recently, a bug in Internet Explorer enabled arbitrary code to be downloaded and executed from a website to your computer without you taking any action whatsoever; it can happen if you simply visit the website.
Are anti-virus, firewalls, anti-spam good solutions?
Yes and no. Yes, because they are better than nothing. No, for two reasons:
1) They do not protect you against new or custom-made viruses and evil-scripts, so you are always a step behind hackers.
And...
2) There is no all-inclusive online solution for ID theft protection.
There is no software that will do it all for you. None. Nada.
As an expert network security consultant and a co-founder of FBI's InfraGard team in Pittsburgh, I can tell you the key is in multi-layer protection. You shouldn't trust any one program to do it all for you. After years of fighting cyber crime, I finally found an ultimate solution. It is in the right combination of security tools. And no, I am not saying you should buy all the security stuff you can find on the internet. Actually, I have good news. All the tools you need for effective protection are actually free. You see, the key is not in the tools, it is in their setup. To learn more about what you can do to secure your PC -before it's too late, get in touch with me or visit us as ABS-comptech.com. You will find an array of available free information there.
Security on PCs has been described as being as efficient as a screen door in a submarine. Technically, it's a door, but it will never hold water. This year, make sure that you spend the necessary time required to secure your internet connections properly. If you cannot do it yourself, then please be sure to call someone who can. The connection that you secure can protect your personal information -and that of others!
For much more information on computer security and wireless safety, or to learn how to get a copy of my utilize Albert's the Guide, visit me at ABS-CompTech.com.
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I always want to use my computer at airports but don't dare to. People remember your blackberry is just a small hard drive and that can be hacked too. I had to go into settings and turn on my firewall and still don't know how safe it is. I don't do banking on it but heard they can hack in and even listen to your conversations. Anyone know what phones come with best security features?