Reflecting on 20 years of CISSP, the Certified Information Systems Security Professional qualification from (ISC)2, the International Information System Security Certification Consortium.
The post What the CISSP? 20 years as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional appeared first on We Live Security.
Murphy’s Law states,
If anything can go wrong, it will.
It’s a tough enough job protecting your home computer, or your business network, against the rising threat of malware and determined hackers… imagine if you were responsible for the security of Britain’s nuclear deterrent?
The post Trident nuclear system to be updated to protect against hacking attacks appeared first on We Live Security.
It’s one of the creepiest things you can experience on Facebook. You stumble across the profile of “another” user who appears to have stolen the details of your life – lock, stock and barrel. And they are spreading slurs about your character, and befriending your contacts…
The post Facebook fights back against creepy impersonating profiles appeared first on We Live Security.
In 1942 six mathematicians were selected to program a machine that would help the US army calculate complex wartime ballistics tables. They helped to create ENIAC – one of the world’s first ever electronic computers. They were also all women.
The post The women of ENIAC and the future of women in tech appeared first on We Live Security.
Parisa Tabriz may not be a household name, but it’s only a matter of time. We take a look at Google’s Security Princess, who is changing the face of tech.
The post Introducing Google’s ‘Security Princess’: Parisa Tabriz appeared first on We Live Security.
Hospitals are vulnerable to cyberattacks
The recent ransomware attack on the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles has spooked the healthcare community. Hackers installed *ransomware in the hospital computer system and held patient records hostage while demanding payment. The hospital eventually paid $17,000 to have their files unlocked.
Attacks on major insurance and healthcare systems last year including Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and Anthem Inc. resulted in 100 million individual records being stolen.
Electronic medical records are a treasure trove of data and fetch a price 20 times more than that a stolen credit card numbers. The cost for the U.S. healthcare industry is $6 billion dollars annually, with the average data breach costing a hospital $2.1 million.
According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, healthcare organizations average about one cyberattack per month with more than half of all organizations surveyed saying they experienced at least one cyberattack in the last 12 months.
Organizations major concerns are system failures (legacy software and devices are common), unsecured wearable biomedical technology that puts patients at risk, and something that other industries face – BYOD (bring your own device) – as employees increasingly using their personal devices for work-related activities. One of the real threats is that hackers can compromise healthcare mobile apps and expose confidential medical records.
Stop by to visit the Avast Virtual Mobile Platform booth at HIMMS16
This week, cybersecurity in healthcare is a major discussion point at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society 2016 Conference in Las Vegas. Avast Virtual Mobile Platform (VMP) will demonstrate how hospitals, insurance companies, and others can use Avast VMP to ensure secure, HIPAA-compliant access to mobile apps such as instant messaging, EHR, document storage and more. Avast will also demonstrate how VMP uses virtualization to instantly secure healthcare mobile apps.
*Ransomware commonly enters a computer system when a user is tricked into clicking an infected link in an email or an infected ad on a website. The ransomware then locks all the files in the system and demands money for a key that will unlock the files.
Scammers target taxpayers as they prepare their tax returns or hire someone to do so.
It’s that time of the year again – tax season is upon us.
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service wrapped up its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams. This year, identity theft topped the list, but phone scams and phishing schemes also deserve special mentions. It’s important that taxpayers guard against ploys to steal their personal information, scam them out of money or talk them into engaging in questionable behavior with their taxes. While discussing the topic of tax scams, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said:
“We are working hard to protect taxpayers from identity theft and other scams this filing season. . .Taxpayers have rights and should not be frightened into providing personal information or money to someone over the phone or in an email. We urge taxpayers to help protect themselves from scams — old and new.”
In addition to releasing the “Dirty Dozen” list, the IRS has also renewed a consumer alert for email schemes. This renewal came after seeing an approximate 400 percent surge in phishing and malware incidents so far this tax season.
We encourage taxpayers to review the list in a special section on IRS.gov and be on the lookout for the many different forms of tax scams. Many of these con games peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns or hire someone to do so.
Taking a closer look at this year’s “Dirty Dozen” scams
Here‘s what you should keep your eyes open for throughout this tax season:
Identity theft: Taxpayers need to watch out for identity theft — especially around tax time. The IRS continues to aggressively pursue the criminals that file fraudulent returns using someone else’s Social Security number. Though the agency is making progress on this front, taxpayers still need to be extremely careful and do everything they can to avoid being victimized.
Phone scams: Phone calls from criminals impersonating IRS agents remain an ongoing threat to taxpayers. The IRS has seen a surge of these phone scams in recent years as scam artists threaten taxpayers with police arrest, deportation and license revocation, among other things.
Phishing: Taxpayers need to be on guard against fake emails or websites looking to steal personal information. The IRS will never send taxpayers an email about a bill or refund out of the blue, so don’t click on one claiming to be from the IRS.
Return preparer fraud: Be on the lookout for unscrupulous return preparers. The vast majority of tax professionals provide honest high-quality service, but there are some dishonest preparers who set up shop each filing season to perpetrate refund fraud, identity theft and other scams that hurt taxpayers.
Offshore tax avoidance: The recent string of successful enforcement actions against offshore tax cheats and the financial organizations that help them shows that it’s a bad bet to hide money and income offshore. Taxpayers are best served by coming in voluntarily and getting caught up on their tax-filing responsibilities.
Inflated refund claims: Be wary of anyone who asks taxpayers to sign a blank return, promises a big refund before looking at their records, or charges fees based on a percentage of the refund. Scam artists use flyers, ads, phony store fronts and word of mouth via trusted community groups to find victims.
Fake charities: Be on guard against groups masquerading as charitable organizations to attract donations from unsuspecting contributors. Contributors should take a few extra minutes to ensure their hard-earned money goes to legitimate and currently eligible charities.
Falsely padding deductions on returns: Taxpayers should avoid the temptation of falsely inflating deductions or expenses on their returns to under pay what they owe or possibly receive larger refunds.
Excessive claims for business credits: Avoid improperly claiming the fuel tax credit, a tax benefit generally not available to most taxpayers. The credit is generally limited to off-highway business use, including use in farming. Taxpayers should also avoid misuse of the research credit.
Falsifying income to claim credits: Don’t invent income to wrongly qualify for tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. Taxpayers are sometimes talked into doing this by scam artists. This scam can lead to taxpayers facing big bills to pay back taxes, interest and penalties and in some cases, criminal prosecution.
Abusive tax shelters: Don’t use abusive tax structures to avoid paying taxes. The vast majority of taxpayers pay their fair share, and everyone should be on the lookout for people peddling tax shelters that sound too good to be true. When in doubt, taxpayers should seek an independent opinion regarding complex products they are offered.
Frivolous tax arguments: Don’t use frivolous tax arguments in an effort to avoid paying tax. Promoters of frivolous schemes encourage taxpayers to make unreasonable and outlandish claims even though they are wrong and have been repeatedly thrown out of court. The penalty for filing a frivolous tax return is $5,000.
Proceed with caution while filing taxes
Perpetrators of illegal scams can face significant penalties and interest and possible criminal prosecution. IRS Criminal Investigation works closely with the Department of Justice to shut down scams and prosecute the criminals behind them. Taxpayers should remember that they are legally responsible for what is on their tax return even if it is prepared by someone else. Be sure the preparer is up to the task.
For more information about tax scams, check out the IRS on YouTube.
Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.
Keeping my mind occupied without the Internet is not that difficult… but you need to learn how to live in this situation.
Being offline during my vacation gives me lots of time and no worries
Day 15. About 10 days to go… I have a lot of time and no worries. You should test this offline vacation idea for yourself. I’m reading Fiódor Dostoiévski much faster than when I need to read and answer a lot of emails and messages. Thanks for your comments in the blog (if any), and I hope I’m not being criticized that much in our social media channels.
Day 16-18. The sun is in the sky! What a wonderful time to be in Chile enjoying the country, the museums, the monuments, the beaches and the fields. I’m pretty confident I’ll make it, but you never know. My only online moments are to share these experiences with you. I’m lucky it’s not a harder challenge: Vacationing from all technology. That would be hard. With the ‘Internet of Things’ all round, this type of personal experience could be harder and harder in the future.
I have had time to explore beautiful Chile and talk to the people here
Day 19. Alive! Man, I’ve learned a lot of Spanish as I need to keep talking with anyone around me. By talking to people, instead of reading about it online, I’m connected to the world, understanding what is going on, how things are done here in this foreign country. I’m learning a lot and also resting and enjoying life a lot.
Day 20. The computer start doing weird things: The time has changed (of course, this is not that good, old CMOS battery!), and two paid apps were not recognized and locked access to themselves . I might be offline, but my apps want to phone home!
Day 21-22. I’ve noticed (in a friend’s phone) the first two parts of this article were published. Thanks! Although, by this time, no comments at all… Even my forum friends do not seem to talk that much. Maybe what I am doing is not that special?
Tomorrow I’ll send some new pictures for Deborah to publish in this last part.
Day 23-24. It’s time to restore the computer conditions so I can have Internet again. That means, in my case, restore the automatic online backup services, startup items, some Windows services I’ve got disabled and, of course, Avast Antivirus. Restarting the computer will prepare it for connection tomorrow (I hope).
Day 25. Wo0h00! New life! My computer has been connected again. Wow! A new Avast Antivirus version. I was shocked when I discovered that only 3 of my Windows applications were updated, compared to more than 30 in my smartphone. Man, the world is turning mobile, no doubt. After I update my Windows to Insider Preview 14271 version released some days ago it will be time to read about what I missed and, perhaps, write another blog article.
Thanks for supporting me in this (weird) offline experience. It’s good to be connected again. 
The social giant Facebook has existed long enough to realize that it is part of a human’s life events. We announce the most important milestones on our timelines by sharing with our Facebook friends the joy of getting married, having babies, or moving abroad. But what will happen with all that data when we pass away? Discussing your digital legacy isn’t pleasant, but it’s important is our reality. Don’t leave it up to your family member, friends, or even worse: Facebook itself. In this article I will guide you through all the options you have, so you can make a conscious decision about your data, using the tools that Facebook offers to its users.
In short you have two options: To delete your account or agree to memorialize your person within the social network. In case you decide on the second option, it is recommended to set up a Legacy Contact: A person who will take care of your account, if something happens to you.
Legacy contact settings
Deleting an account is the easier and more radical option. All your data – pictures, posts, comments, connections, messages, apps you have ever installed – simply everything, will be permanently removed.
Here are the steps you have to take first, to set this option in your profile:
This is however only an initial step to remove your account. If something happens to you, Facebook still needs to be notified. Your immediate family member needs to contact Facebook to inform about the lose. There is a Special Request for Deceased Person’s Account where all the information, including a death certificate needs to be sent. Only after that will Facebook permanently remove the profile.
A Legacy Contact is a trusted person, a friend or a family member, that will make sure your profile is memorialized and that will take care of it afterwards. According to Facebook, the Legacy Contact will be able to:
Select the person first and talk about it in advance. You can always change your selection and chose another person, but it is always better to discuss this responsibility in person ahead. It is also important to educate your Legacy Contact what to do.
Here is how to add a legacy contact:
What to do, if you are appointed to be a Legacy Contact?
Respecting your deceased friend or family member is a responsibility. The first thing you will have to do is request memorialization of the profile. Once it is set up as a memorial, the profile will receive the “Remembering” label just above the name, next to the deceased person’s profile picture. Memorialized profiles don’t appear in public spaces such as in suggestions for People You May Know, ads, or birthday reminders. As a Legacy Contact you can manage a profile in a limited way. To do it you have to go to the profile, in the bottom right of the cover photo click Manage and than you can:
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