Cyber Security Day!

I came across this today, and it has excellent content, so I figured I'd share it here!
Give it a once over, it has some great password tips!

Moz://a Firefox

Here are some more great articles, with awesome tips!

Firefox security tips

Careful of those Black Friday online scams!

It's that time of year again, Black Friday, Deals everywhere!

But, be careful, it is also a day for scammers to try and get your money as well!

Most legit sites (that you probably already use), should have most of your info on file already, so you shouldn't have to enter it again. Always look for that little 'padlock' on the address bar, that usually means you are safe. Don't forget to "trust your gut" as well.  If you think something is a little off about where you are shopping, odds are it probably is.

Although if you get lead astray, double-check the spelling of the web address, lots of scammers just add one letter or number and make it look like a legit site. Also, Google is your friend. Go and check out that web address or company, a little research can go a long way.

A person can't stress enough, that online security is a very important part of the daily regiment now.  Many people still go onto unknown websites, click random ads and pop-ups, then just close them thinking nothing of it. Well, that is usually how it all begins. Be careful out there when you're hunting for those deals, all the big companies use great security and have your best interests in mind.  But, all it takes is one wrong turn, accidentally order something from that "too good to be true" website, chances are, someone else may be "shopping" with your credit card info!


Hope you all find some great deals! Keep the stampedes in Walmart to a minimum!

Here are a couple good reads to check out:

7 Scams to watch out for

Wired - How to avoid online scams

 Scams through Facebook



Sevenowl

Well, I’ve got to throw this out there.

Disney +, nice new streaming service... Hacked! http://globalnews.ca/news/6185648/disney-plus-accounts-hack-dark-web/

Thousands of accounts with passwords are out there for anyone to use!

Disney was quoted as saying there was no security breach on their servers.

So what may be happening is something called “Credential stuffing”

https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-credential-stuffing/?_gl=1*1t8u9ux*_ga*dGxTYUpSXzZfVk5QYjc4RzlCczFHQS13c1A5bXo0ZnN1LTV1WlF0dWJPZnVrdldMcmNwQnJybEZld2oya3N3dA..&intcid=inline_amp

What that is, is basically someone takes a bunch of user names and passwords from a previous breach and throw them at the server, and see which ones take.

Where do they get them? Well on the dark web, there is a huge repository of all this data, billions of user names, passwords, credit card numbers, you name it. All available to those that know where to look, and able to pay for it.

So for now, check out the news stories I have posted, you will learn a little bit more about the hack, and credential stuffing.

Hopefully people out there are starting to read these! Take them seriously, there is no “it won’t happen to me” on the internet. Basically, if you’re connected to the internet, someone knows you are.

Sevenowl

Windows 7 EOL

Hello all!  Sorry for not posting for a while, but things got a little hectic.  Anyway, here we go.

Let's go with Windows 7 this time. I've been getting a lot of calls and emails and questions regarding the upcoming Windows 7 support cycle ending in January.

For those who want to read the direct link:

Windows 7 support will end January 14, 2020.

Pretty much, what this means, is that support for the OS itself will stop.  No more security updates or patches etc. Which makes the OS obsolete, and security vulnerabilities will go unfixed. 
Some places (scammers) love to take advantage of this, by calling you trying to say they can update your system for free or a small fee, or telling you that you will lose everything, or even that your computer just stops working all together.  Some of these scammers succeed, some don't.  Its all up to you to keep yourself informed as to what the actual dangers are.

Microsoft nor ANY other computer company will NEVER call you, and ask for access or to help you update your computer.  NEVER respond to any of these people.

Your system will be safe for the time being, but will eventually get sluggish as support for the drivers etc all begin to phase out. So you are best to look at possibly updating your system to at Windows 10.

You should consult with a computer professional though to check your system, if your existing hardware can support Windows 10.  As it may be time to just go out and get yourself a nice shiny new computer all together!  (your current hard drive can be added to a newer system and you will be able to access the files, and photos you have on there)  This is as long as your HD doesn't give up as well :)

Hopefully that helps explain a little bit to you all out there.  It's not as scary as they are making it sound, just some simple knowledge and maybe a trip to your nearest computer store and your all set!

If you have any questions please feel free to comment below, I will answer as fast as I can.


Sevenowl - Security Professional

Well, another day, another security breach.  Anyway, while we wait for my next article to come about.  Feel free to check out "Have I Been Pwned"  It is a very good site, that checks if your email account has ever been comprimised anywhere. When you scroll down, it will even show you where and when.  Handy little device, and I would take it's advice to heart.  If you use it, and see some sites you frequent that show up on there as breached, I suggest changing your passwords ASAP.  There is also a tab at the top, where you can input any of your passwords, and it will in turn show you if they have been comprimised as well.

There are quite of few of these sites out there, that can help you determine if your data has been breached and posted on the dark web.  All it takes are some simple searches.  But for now, I recommend:

Have I Been Pwned.



Sevenowl

This is a little off topic... but I've said that.

For those that are still using iPhone 4 & 5, there is an update you must do by midnight tonight, or risk losing access to icloud, appstore and even more.  The GPS may not give accurate coordination if not updated, causing a drop in cellular service. 

Read more here     Apple Update for iPhone 4 & 5



Sevenowl.

What is a Hacker?

This should have been posted near the beginning but here we go.

Everyone seems paranoid when they hear the term Hacker.
Why? Well because society and media have defined the role as, Someone who sits in the dark at their computer, silently typing away stealing all your money from your bank account and what not.
Well, the term Hacker now a days means much more than that. Most "Hackers" today, are usually people with an elite set of skills on specific platforms and systems. Todays Hackers are now mostly responsible for securing and help securing all this "tech" that we use in our daily lives.  So please feel free to learn more about what the term "Hacker" really means.  They are not as bad as you may think!

Hacker


Sevenowl.

Tik Tok

Alright, lets get things rolling.  We'll be on topic, off topic, and all over the place.  But what you read here is definitely NOT fake news!  Every article, every review, every app, etc, that will be posted here, will have a security fault!

I'm hoping to reach out to all those who don't know, don't care, or maybe want to know!

Let's start with this one:     Tik Tok

This app, which was formerly musicaly, is now under investigation by several Law enforcement agencies:

CNBC news

Forbes

The Guardian

Now, apparently the data, videos, names, phone numbers, emails, etc that a person or child is divulging is being stored by the by the Chinese company that is now controlling it.

[ TikTok is an iOSand Androidsocial media video appfor creating and sharing short lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos. The app was launched in 2017 by Chinese developer ByteDance, for markets outside of China. ByteDance has previously launched Douyin (Chinese: 抖音) for the China market in September 2016. TikTok and Douyin are the same but run on different servers to comply with Chinese censorship restrictions. The application allows users to create short music and lip-syncvideos of 3 to 15 seconds[4][5]and short looping videos of 3 to 60 seconds. It is popular in Asia, the United States, and other parts of the world.[6]TikTok is not available in China, and its servers are based in countries where the app is available]

It's not even available in China!  Well now....

This is becoming a growing trend of apps & websites, that are secretly storing and selling your information!

If your a parent like myself, I believe you should do some reading up on this app, and a few others used by your child.  Most kids have that, it won't happen to me, or just the general surreal feeling of online social media.  They do not understand what is actually going on.  For you parents out there, feel free to read through this link:

What Parents Need to Know about Tik Tok!

I hope this will help some people out there. Most will brush it off as a "thats the risk you take for using the app"  But we have to start understanding, your information, is not yours anymore.  If you are online in any way, no matter if it's a smart phone, tablet, laptop, or PC, you are being tracked.

It's time to bring this to everyone's attention!

Sevenowl. - Security Professional.