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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

Ransomware Scammers get the Big Bucks

It sounds almost like science fiction, even in this cyber age: A thief hacks into your computer and encrypts your files, meaning, scrambles the information so you can’t make sense of any of it. He demands you pay him a big fat payment to “unlock” the encryption or to give you the “key,” which is contained on the thief’s remote server. You are bein...

/security

Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

Big Bad Hackers taken down

Darkode anyone? Not anymore. This underground bad hackers’ forum was recently demolished by the FBI, says a report on www.justice.gov. The dozen hackers associated with Darkode are facing criminal charges. Though there are about 800 of such forums, Darkode was among the worst (or shall I say “best”?), presenting a serious threat to worldwide comput...

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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

These are the Bigtime Hackers

Hackers with big skills and a big ego will be drawn to Facebook and Twitter as their targets. But they’ll also target dozens of other companies, reports an article on arstechnica.com. One group in particular stands out as the attackers, using zero-day exploits. They are known as Wild Neutron and Morpho, says the article, and have been active possib...

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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

Zeus Malware Gang take-down

Zeus is no longer a god of malware; he’s been taken down by law enforcement agencies spanning six European nations. Five people were recently arrested—believed to have infected tens of thousands of computers across the globe. There have been 60 total arrests pertaining to this cybergang. They also used malware called SpyEye, and that, along with Z...

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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

UL to launch Cybersecurity Cert

UL in this case stands for Underwriters Laboratories. An article on darkreading.com notes that a UL official, Maarten Bron, says that they are taking part in the U.S. government’s plan to promote security certification standards. The U.S. government is interested in developing a UL-type program directed at computers and smartphones. This initiative...

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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

How to stop Browser Tracking

Maybe you don’t mind the ads for that bicycle rack following you around in cyberspace after you visited a site for all things bike, but browser trackers (“cookies”) also create a profile of you that gets sold to other advertisers and third parties. Are you doomed to be stalked forever by bike ads? This is caused by third-party cookies. You can us...

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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

Company for sale includes your Data

When you subscribe to an online service, be careful of how much information you give out about yourself. Most businesses in their terms and conditions, say they “respect your privacy.” But what if these companies go under or are sold? An article from the online New York Times explores this concept. Today’s market-data-hungry-businesses can gather l...

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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

Even Hackers get hacked

Burglars get burgled, muggers get mugged, and hackers get hacked. This includes a sophisticated ring of hackers: Hacking Team, hailing from Italy, specializing in selling hacking software to major governments. An article on wired.com describes how a “400 gigabyte trove” went online by anonymous hackers who gutted the Hacking Team, including source ...

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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

Hacker isn't a bad Word

Did you know that the original meaning of hacker, as far as computers, was that of a person who built codes into computers? In fact, the bad guy was called a “cracker.” Somehow, “cracker” didn’t catch on. But the mainstream folk out there hears “hacker,” and right away, they think of a digital thief, often someone who breaks into governmental comp...

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Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me

Why Hacking is a National Emergency

Foreign hackers, look out: Uncle Sam is out to get you. President Obama has issued an order that allows the State Department and Treasury Departments to immobilize the financial assets of anyone out-of country suspected of committing or otherwise being involved in cyber crimes against the U.S. This order, two years in the making, covers hacking of...

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