With so many data breaches happening these days, Americans are getting a lot of breach notification letters and emails, but do they deliver useful, readable content, other than a general warning to remain vigilant?
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Lenovo has issued a public apology, admitting it “messed up badly” by selling laptops with a controversial tracking software pre-installed.
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In a recent survey, we found that only 6% of Americans protect their data by using a virtual private network (VPN) when using public Wi-Fi with their smartphone or tablet. That leaves a whopping 94% unprotected. Why is this?
Do people not know the risks of using unsecured public Wi-Fi?
Is avoiding data overages or the convenience of no password more important than the data on their devices?
Are they not aware that there is protection available?
Are they scared they won’t understand how to use VPN because of the technical sounding name?
The truth is that using unprotected Wi-Fi networks could end up costing you your privacy and identity when you use them without protection like Virtual Private Network (VPN) software. This is because unsecured networks, those are the ones that do not require registration or a password, give cybercrooks easy access to sensitive personal information.
“As mobile cloud storage becomes more popular and the quest for free Wi-Fi continues to grow, open networks that require no passwords place unprotected consumers at great risk of compromising sensitive personal data,” said Jude McColgan, president of mobile at Avast.
“The majority of Americans don’t realize that all the personal information on their mobile devices becomes defenseless over public Wi-Fi if used without protection. These networks create an easy entry point for hackers to attack millions of American consumers on a daily basis.”
“Unfortunately hacking isn’t a complicated process – there are tools available online that anyone can easily use to steal personal data,” says Ondrej Vlček, Chief Operating Officer at Avast. “Avast SecureLine VPN allows users to browse the web anonymously and safely, especially while using open Wi-Fi.”
Avast SecureLine VPN protects your Internet connections with military-grade encryption and hides your IP address. If that sounds like mumbo-jumbo to you, what it means is that essentially our VPN protection makes your device invisible to cybercriminals. In addition to that, using the VPN hides your browsing history, so no one can monitor your behavior online. We assure you, it’s as easy as can be to use.
Avast SecureLine VPN is available for Android phones and tablets on Google Play and for iOS devices in the Apple App Store. We also have VPN available for Windows PCs.
In his speech, before a hall full of business and tech leaders, students and professors, the President again emphasized the importance of the government and private sector working together.
He pointed out, “So much of our computer networks and critical infrastructure are in the private sector, which means government cannot do this alone. But the fact is that the private sector can’t do it alone either, because it’s government that often has the latest information on new threats. There’s only one way to defend America from these cyberthreats, and that is through government and industry working together, sharing appropriate information as true partners.”
Clearly this is a president who recognizes the dangers and complexities of cybersecurity, and equally wants digital safety to be a cornerstone of his legacy.
As he said elsewhere in his speech, “…. it’s one of the great paradoxes of our time that the very technologies that empower us to do great good can also be used to undermine us and inflict great harm… The same social media we use in government to advocate for democracy and human rights around the world can also be used by terrorists to spread hateful ideologies.” We are fortunate to have a president who “gets it”.
In his speech, the President outlined four basic principles for cybersecurity:
(See a full transcript of the President’s speech here.)
The President followed his speech by signing an Executive Order that encourages and promotes the sharing of cybersecurity threat information within the private sector and between the private sector and federal government. As he stated, it will also “…encourage more companies and industries to set up organizations – hubs – so you can share information with each other.”
It’s no surprise that the President picked Stanford for his cybersecurity summit.
Besides being in the cradle of information technology and in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford announced a major Cyber Initiative in November that will address, through an interdisciplinary (and campus-wide) focus, the “crucial and complex opportunities and challenges raised by cyber-technologies.”
As regards the President’s speech, I like the practical realization that the government and business must work together; but most of all I like the fact that the President recognizes that the privacy of the individual is paramount. As a security firm our mission is to protect your data, but beyond that, it is to make sure that you, and your privacy, and the privacy of your loved ones, is secure. As we move forward, we’ll keep our eye on these policies and initiatives with that in mind.
Apps are what make our smartphones truly useful. They help us stay in touch with family and friends, guide us, educate us and sometimes simply entertain us. With the average person having nearly 30 apps on their device, it’s clear that we’re no strangers to downloading and installing apps.
However a word of caution. You should always check the permissions that an app requests while installing.
In this video I have outlined five permissions that you should be aware of and give careful consideration when granting it to an app.
1. Access to Internet: be careful that the permission being asked for is appropriate to the app
2. Access to phone and call information: apps will be able to view your call history, send text messages and incur additional costs without you knowing.
3. GPS & precise location: does the app really need your precise location or even access to your GPS?
4.Access to photos/media/files: ensure you only give access to trustworthy apps, with this permissions they have the ability to access a lot of data on your phone.
5. Camera & Microphone access: Apps can access them at anytime and take photos or record audio without you knowing. Make sure you provide access to apps you trust.
If you’re unsure about why the app is asking for you to provide a particular permissions, you can always contact the developer and ask them to clarify.
Possible 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has has had to retroactively redact over 12,000 personal details from emails published in the name of transparency
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Law enforcement agencies shouldn’t be above the law.
Find out if the UK’s GCHQ illegally spied on you…
The post Did GCHQ illegally spy on you? Here’s how to find out appeared first on We Live Security.
We are always talking about the dangers that our data often faces in the Internet. Constant leaks and vulnerabilities in the services we use the most seem inevitable. Even platforms and applications we consider harmless suspiciously gather information on their users that do not seem to be closely related to their activity.
There are plenty of warnings, but we are not often told what we should do to keep our data out of the hands of third parties and safe from illicit uses or for which we have not granted our permission. Are we unprotected? We give you a few tips so that you no longer feel completely defenseless.
These tools, which have installed themselves in our virtual life, gather a lot of data about our habits (searches and pages visited) that is often used to design custom advertising. You can avoid them by using browsers in ‘incognito’ or ‘private’ mode. Another option is to regularly clear your browsing history and cookies.
A Virtual Private Network, more commonly known as a VPN, allows you to browse the Internet securely, even when you are connected to a public network. Although they are often associated to being used to hide illegal activities, there is nothing bad about them. On the contrary, it is highly advisable to use them when you do not have a secure connection.
Sharing the selfie you have just taken on social networks could reveal a lot of data about the device you used and where you are. Perhaps the phone model or camera specifications are not very important but it is a good idea to change the settings so that the exact coordinates of you location do not appear. Here you have how to disable the GPS to the mobile phone camera.
Everyone finds it difficult to remember their password. It is much more convenient and easier to stay logged on to Facebook or Gmail so that you can access them by simply clicking the icon. However, remember that doing this allows these platforms to follow you around the Internet.
As happens with pictures, when you update your status in Facebook or send a tweet, you could be giving out your location. Even what you say and when you say it could be analyzed by these platforms.
Have you ever googled your first name and last name? You probably haven’t found anything strange, but it is recommended to create an alert in the search engine to stay informed about any changes. If a page is talking about you, the browser will send you an email to let you know.
If, in real life, you do not go to the bank to carry out a financial transaction with the same attitude as when going to a concert, you should do the same in the Internet. Keep important things separate from leisure and hobbies. Open various email accounts to separate work and family issues from your hobbies or Internet shopping. This will prevent all of them from being flooded with spam and a potential intruder will not be able to access all of the information at the same time.
It cannot be denied that storing all types of files in Dropbox or Google Drive has its advantages: you have them all in one place, they do not take up space on your computer and you can access them from any device. However, it also has its dangers. Those responsible for these services could analyze your files and it is not too difficult for cyber-criminals to get a look at them either. The best way of avoiding problems is to encrypt them before saving them on these platforms.
Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp are free services, like email services. Don’t be fooled. If they are not charging you it is because they are making money in another way, often related to your personal data. They collect information about your preferences and habits in order to give it to other companies. Paying for premium versions or more expensive platforms can often have its advantages, even if these are not financial.
To finish, we give you a tip that could sound very obvious but that we often neglect: keep your antivirus software updated and check the security status of your computer. There is lot of spyware around and any barrier is useful for preventing it from attacking your computer without you realizing.
With these simple tips you can save yourself a few upsets. Data leaks, attacks and spoofing are often due to the owners of the information not taking enough precautions. Don’t do the same!
The post 10 tips for protecting your privacy when everything seems against it appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.
Russian authorities have indicated that VPNs and online anonymising software Tor could soon be banned for the country’s 143.5 million residents.
The post Russia seeks VPN and Tor ban in anonymity clamp down appeared first on We Live Security.
Last week, we reported on news of remote hacking of BMW cars that opened car doors and windows. That episode was followed by a CBS News 60 Minutes report on DARPA and concerns about Internet of Things last Sunday, which included a renegade, runaway car that had been hacked remotely causing it to crash.
In the CBS demonstration, the victims were only some orange traffic cones. But the implications were real: two tons of moving steel out of the driver’s control.
Granted this may be the worst-case scenario but there are also implications for hijacking your data that give us cause for concern.
In that vein, a new report was issued last week (Feb. 9) in the U.S. on broader security and privacy vulnerabilities in smart vehicles. The report by Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called “Tracking & Hacking: Security & Privacy Gaps Put American Drivers at Risk,” identified risks and proposes new safety standards for smart vehicles.
Senator Markey is a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. His study is based on how 16 major automobile manufacturers responded to questions about how vehicles may be vulnerable to hackers, and how driver information is collected and protected.
Here are just a few excerpts of its data points:
The full report is available here.
In a statement about the report, Markey summarized: “Drivers have come to rely on these new technologies, but unfortunately the automakers haven’t done their part to protect us from cyber-attacks or privacy invasions. Even as we are more connected than ever in our cars and trucks, our technology systems and data security remain largely unprotected. We need to work with the industry and cyber-security experts to establish clear rules of the road to ensure the safety and privacy of 21st-century American drivers.”
The Markey report illustrates the data and cybersecurity implications for privacy and security in connected cars that we in the industry have been talking about for more than the past year. I’ve written about smart car security and privacy issues and have spoken about the subject at many venues, including last year’s Connected Car Conference.
Our cars are becoming another of our digitally connected devices. But as our cars evolve, essentially into computers on wheels, they are vulnerable to the very same threats and attacks as home computers, laptops and smartphones.
I applaud Markey’s report. As frightening as it may be, it is a call to action for all of us in the auto, tech and security industries.
