Is Your Front Door Secure?
Have you ever been in the middle of a family dinner or event and the patriarchal family members start discussing the “good ol’ days”? Inevitably, you hear the famous line, “When I was your age, we didn’t even lock our doors at night.” For those of us who didn’t grow up in that generation, we shake our heads, thinking that’s an insane thing to do. Today, we have multiple locks on our doors and…
“Hey Alexa, What’s a Phone Book?”
Recently, my husband came home from his day at work and during our normal evening conversation, I asked, “How was work today?” His reply was, “It was alright. We had another order of phone books come in.” My immediate response was to ask, “Who even uses phone books anymore?” The answer to that question is hardly anyone. In fact, my husband, who works for a delivery company, says he often finds…
Real Estate Wire Fraud Has Devastating Effects
Like a wildfire, real estate wire fraud has devastating effects. Within minutes your assets can be lost. How would you feel if you lost everything in a literal wildfire, then were victimized afterwards by wire fraud? Colleen Kahle knows how this feels firsthand. On November 8, 2018, she had just minutes to evacuate as the Camp Fire swept through Paradise, California. Colleen made it out safely.…
The Internet of Things (IoT) and Digitally Stored PII: Avoidable or Inevitable?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly showing up in all facets of daily life and collecting personally identifiable information (PII) in massive quantities. From smart home thermostats to one-click purchasing, IoT devices collect PII to personalize experiences for consumers. In an increasingly digital and connected world, unprecedented immersion into environments of convenience, knowledge, and…
Vol 08 Issue 107 August 2018
Spread the Word on Elder Fraud
This month, we are going to talk about social engineering scams and how they target the elderly population. I know anyone in all age groups can be a target of attackers and any age group can fall for attacks. As a professional social engineer, I see many different targets from different demographics both fall for or remain resilient to attacks we perform for…
Data Brokers: You Are Being Packaged and Sold
The recent Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal put a spotlight on the nebulous world of data brokers and data mining. As you shop, browse the Internet, participate in a quiz, subscribe to a magazine, fill a prescription, or network on social media, data brokers are hovering in the background, stealthily collecting your personal information. In the eyes of data brokers, you are the…
The SEVillage at Def Con 26
I know what you are thinking, “the Def Con 25 bus just finished running us over, it’s not possibly time for Def Con 26 is it?” My answer to you is, "yes, yes it is." Not only is it time, but Def Con 26 prep has been in full force. The competitions are prepared, the swag art is ready, the targets have been chosen, and the SECTF contestants are locked and loaded. We are confident this year is going…
Identity Thieves – Phishing and Pilfering Your PII
Identity thieves are phishing and pilfering your personally identifiable information (PII). In fact, identity fraud reached a record high in 2017 with 16.7 million U.S. victims (an increase of 8 percent over 2016) and $16.8 billion dollars stolen. In view of this, what can you do to safeguard your PII in 2018? Let’s take a look at three methods criminals are using to steal identities.
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