It’s quite simple, really – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Here’s an email one of our staff received in response to an inquiry to a Craigslist apartment listing. See if you can spot the red flags. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Security’ CategoryHow To Recognize a Nigerian ScamThursday, December 8th, 2011Know Your BrowserTuesday, December 6th, 2011Lately I’ve noticed several of my clients entering URLs into the search bar in their browser. This is both inefficient and potentially harmful. For example, if you want to go to Dropbox.com or Facebook.com, it’s faster and safer to type “drobox.com” or “facebook.com” into the address bar than in the search bar. Why? Because if you already know the address, you’re wasting time searching for it. This is like calling information and asking “what is the number for 802-234-6368?” You already know the number!  Which is a search result and which is an ad? Potentially more concerning is the risk that someone may be gaming the results of the search you perform. For instance, someone could take out a malicious ad on a URL, e.g., “facebook.com” so that when you search for Facebook.com, a link to their site is returned along with the other search results. Many users don’t know the difference between the main website they are looking for and the plethora of other results that are returned, and just click on the first link they see.
MySQL.com HackedSunday, October 2nd, 2011Last week, the website for MySQL, the world’s most popular open-source database server which is now a division of Oracle, was hacked. While this likely doesn’t affect most of our blog’s readers, it goes to serve as a valuable example of why running a web content filter on your network is vital to information security. MySQL.com is a legitimate business website with a good reputation. However, it was compromised by hackers, essentially turning the website into a platform for distributing malware to anyone who visited the site. Keep this in mind the next time you think that you don’t need a web content filter because you only visit “legitimate websites.” Version 8.2 of Astaro Security GatewayFriday, July 22nd, 2011Today, Astaro (a division of Sophos) released version 8.2 of their Astaro Security Gateway. As announced on their blog, highlights include:
These are some of the 60 new features in this release. If you run an Astaro Security Gateway, this upgrade is definitely worth checking out. And if you don’t yet run an Astaro Security Gateway, contact us so we can set you up with a free trial. Should You Change Your Password? (Trick Question)Wednesday, July 13th, 2011Here’s a great website that everyone (yes, that means you) should check out: https://shouldichangemypassword.com/ (more…) Don’t Assume Dropbox Is SecureSaturday, June 25th, 2011Dropbox, a very popular online file storage solution, recently made a big mistake, allowing any user to log in to their service without a password. This means that if you have a Dropbox account and I tried to log in as you, with your email address instead of my own, I would have been granted access to your files. No fancy hackery needed (more…) Phishing Scam du JourSunday, April 24th, 2011Today I found this little gem in my inbox. Rather than repeating the text, I’ll just put the actual image, which I received, embedded in the body of the email. The hardest thing to believe is that people are still actually falling for these things.
Beware Fake Delivery Confirmation ScamsFriday, April 1st, 2011In 2008, and again last year around the holiday season, we saw a lot of emails purporting to be from the “United Postal Service” with an attached file claiming to be the tracking or delivery confirmation information for your shipment. They were fake, and they’re back. Facebook Alert: “New teacher” or “Panties” Videos Are Not What They SeemSunday, March 20th, 2011We appear to have another Facebook malware or, at very least, scam, running rampant. If the frequency with which I’m seeing this pop up on my friends’ profiles is any indicated, this one’s spreading quickly. If you see any links for videos with subjects like “New Teacher From Behind” or “When Panties Go Bad” (or anything else that seems a little too racy to actually have been posted by one of your friends), do not click it.
What Would a Data Breach Cost Your Business?Friday, March 18th, 2011Have you ever wondered what a data breach would cost your company? I mean, really sat down and thought “if hackers managed to compromise our system and walk away with all of our data, what would the damages be, what would it cost us, and how would we recover?” Symantec has released a new website to help you determine the cost of a breach for your business. (more…) |
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