Ho-Ho-Holiday Spams and Scams

   It's that time of year again folks.  And whatever holiday you may, or may not, celebrate... there's something we're all likely to see.  It's not presents, though maybe there are some for you.  It's not snow, though we're already seeing that here in the upper midwest US.

   It's malware and holiday scams!

   Unfortunately, it happens every year.  Sometimes it's malicious attachments.  Sometimes it's links to malware to download or phishing sites with forms ready to collect your personal and financial information.

   Here is my 2017 edition of my Top 10 Tips To Avoid Holiday Spams and Scams...

Internet Safety for our Parents

   It's US Cyber Security Month and the key themes I've been discussing here for years are very bit as relevant today.  In honor of Cyber Security Month I'm re-running a post from 2016.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Happy Cyber Security Month!

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   I've written about Internet safety for families, kids, teens and I've even spoken on safety for pre-schoolers.  But it's important to think about online safety for parents as well.

   That's true both for parents of young children was well seniors with grown children.  The safety challenges for seniors are similar but there are some differences.  They may not be as familiar with technology and, according to the FBI:

• they are often financially secure and/or have good credit
• they may be more trusting and they don't think they'd be a target

   This article by the AARP lists some common scams against seniors including some we've discussed like fake Microsoft support calls or IRS-related tax fraud.

   What got me thinking about this topic was a great article entitled "10 Ways to Help Our Parents With Online Security".  The article touches on a number of themes we've discussed in the past.  I'll list the 10 items with links back to some past editions of this blog - typically they:

1. don't think they have anything worth stealing
2. have bad password habits - just like most people
3. are confused by 2-factor authentication - something we all should use
4. leave mobile devices unattended and without security measures
5. don't recognize phishing emails
6. don't understand social media and how it can be used in scams
7. share too much information
8. can be manipulated by online media
9. place too much trust in an anti-virus product
10. don't understand how sophisticated scams and attacks can be

   In what ways can you help your parents stay safe online?

Lock Before You Leap

   Most organizations have some kind of requirement to protect data.  Sometimes it's regulatory, for example organizations in healthcare or financial or retail need to protect personal data on individuals.  But for sales, manufacturing or other industries like medical devices, their "secret sauce" could be intellectual property like formulas or proprietary processes, or customer lists.

   Whether it's critical data on people, processes or things, what most organizations have in common is that, if they cannot protect this information, the results could be fines or inability to do business and that can directly translate to harm to people and organizations.

   There are so many ways to protect information (or to fail at protecting information), some more complicated than others.

   One very simple way that information can be breached, disclosed or otherwise lost is through unattended, unlocked devices.  For example, someone leaves a laptop logged in, screen unlocked and walks away - someone else can take that laptop and would have access to any data it has.  This is also true for desktop workstations.  In this case the computer won't likely be taken, but if the workstation is unattended and unlocked, anyone else can access the data on that machine leading to potential breaches and regulatory problems.

Internet Safety for Parents

   I've written about Internet safety for families, kids, teens and I've even spoken on safety for pre-schoolers.  But it's important to think about online safety for parents as well.

   That's true both for parents of young children was well seniors with grown children.  The safety challenges for seniors are similar but there are some differences.  They may not be as familiar with technology and, according to the FBI:

• they are often financially secure and/or have good credit
• they may be more trusting and they don't think they'd be a target

   This article by the AARP lists some common scams against seniors including some we've discussed like fake Microsoft support calls or IRS-related tax fraud.

   What got me thinking about this topic was a great article entitled "10 Ways to Help Our Parents With Online Security".  The article touches on a number of themes we've discussed in the past.  I'll list the 10 items with links back to some past editions of this blog - typically they:

1. don't think they have anything worth stealing
2. have bad password habits - just like most people
3. are confused by 2-factor authentication - something we all should use
4. leave mobile devices unattended and without security measures
5. don't recognize phishing emails
6. don't understand social media and how it can be used in scams
7. share too much information
8. can be manipulated by online media
9. place too much trust in an anti-virus product
10. don't understand how sophisticated scams and attacks can be

   In what ways can you help your parents stay safe online?

Gotta Catch Some of 'Em

   Because you just can't catch 'em all!

   I guess I can't get around having to comment on Pokemon Go.

   If you have children, or if you were, born in the 90's through the 00's then you know all about Pokemon.  It used to be about the cards, action figures and, of course, the video games.  Remember the Game Boys, game cartridges and all the sounds and music?!

   With Pokemon Go, the game has gone from sometimes mobile to really mobile.  And from sometimes social to a social phenomenon.

   It's not farfetch'd!

   For some reason, many adults seem to dislike this game, siting issues like inattention to surroundings, time spent playing, etc.  I think the game is great!  Here are my top reasons why (major caveat... I have not actually played the game!  These are my observations as a technology and security professional and as a parent):

• It gets kids out of the house - many people need a little Vitamin D.  One of the biggest complaints about gaming and computers for kids is that they don't get outside enough.
• It gets kids moving - #exercise.  While there have been some attempts at game-ifying exercise, such as Wii Fit, it never really caught on.  Pokemon Go gets people outdoors and moving around.  In fact, part of the game is logging lots of steps.
• It's for "kids" of all ages - parents can play along with their kids!  You don't have to play, but at the very least it's a great opportunity to be involved.
• It's really social - you may remember that, back in the day, players could connect two Gameboys so two people could battle.  Now people are connecting IRL (In Real Life) as they hike trails, walk through cities or congregate at parks or other PokeStops.
• It's another step toward acceptance of Augmented Reality.  Unlike Virtual Reality, in which one is entirely immersed in a manufactured visual scene, Augmented Reality overlays images, text or other information on top of what you are actually looking at.

Secrets Your Phone Told Me

   You may remember that earlier this year we were all talking about the standoff between the FBI San Bernadino attack.  This specific problem was "solved" when the FBI said they were able to decrypt the phone and no longer needed Apple's help.  The assumption by many is that the FBI purchased an exploit used to break into the phone.
and Apple about the decryption of an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the

   This leads us to an important consideration and question... can any phone be hacked?  Is any information on your smartphone really private?

   We have become completely dependent upon our phones.  According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, in the US over two-thirds of the population uses a smartphone.  We keep all of our personal information on there: passwords and accounts, photos and videos, credit card data, tax data; we shop and set many preferences (travel, food, dating, real estate); we track our workouts, our weight our food and all our movements.  Today's smartphone is the key to far more information about you than you can imagine!

   We can, of course, watch TV on our phone.  And on 4/17/2016, 60 Minutes aired a show about smartphone security and privacy.  You can view it here.

   In the episode, they talked about the SS7 (Signaling System 7) protocol and how it works.  SS7 was designed in 1975 and it is the protocol that allows phone systems to pass calls between them.  For mobile, it handles maintaining connections as you move between cell towers, for example as you are driving down the road (using hands-free calling of course! :-).  This particular exploit is not new at all.  In fact, this has been a topic at the Black Hat Briefings and other security conferences for years.

   But all this aside, there is no need for exploits or vulnerabilities to track people or glean personal information through their phones.  Disclosing this information is simply how phones and apps work!  Let me explain...

Credit Cards Calling

   So I'm driving down the road, out of state but heading toward home, when I received a text message.  The message said it was from a credit card company asking me whether a charge was legit.  I did not recognize this charge!

   Receiving this kind of message may concern some of you, but for me this is awesome!  The credit card companies have, by necessity, become really good at detecting fraud.  That could be because of the huge amount of credit card fraud out there!  Fraud is big money and it's both in our, and the credit card companies', best interests to try to get a handle on it.

   Detecting this kind of fraud is basically about big data analytics and anomaly detection.  That's just a fancy way of saying it's kind of like finding a needle in a stack of needles!  It's complex and expensive.  Luckily(?) credit card companies have lots of money!  They have to figure out what might be fraud so they can appropriately allow or block transactions.  If they allow too much then there can be a lot of fraud.  If they block too much then there can be unhappy customers.

   Back to our story... the charge was not legit and I responded "2".  As you can see in the image, the credit card company said they would call me.  I did receive a call and was immediately put into a hold loop!  Wait...

   If I did speak to someone they would first have asked me to identify myself.  However, they called me.  I don't actually know who they are!  This whole event could have been a scam to collect personal information from me.  Had someone connected with me that way, I would not have given them any identifying information.  They called me... at my registered (with them) phone number.  They already know who I am.  They need to positively identify themselves to me!

How To Vault (part 2)

   A few posts ago I wrote an overview of why you may want to use a password vault.  This was in answer to reader question to provide more specifics about vaults.

   We've talked about passwords and password vaults a number of times in the past including here, here and here.

   If you haven't read part 1 of this discussion, it's here.

   Hopefully you are now convinced that you should be using a password vault, also called a password manager.  Now what...?

Products & Costs.

   A few years ago there were just a few key players in this field, but the list of products has grown and there are a number of good choices.  I'll briefly mention four of the best known and provide some links where you can get more info.

• LastPass - the basic product is free.  It has most of the features you'd want, but the free version only supports use in a web browser.  If you want a mobile app and to support password fills in mobile apps then you need to get LastPass Premium, $1/month or $12/year.
• DashLane - this is another very popular product.  It's free to download and use on any device.  However to have your passwords synced across devices, a very important feature, you need to use the Premium product which costs $40/year.
• KeePass - this is well known and solid product.  It always has been free and is open source.  It was designed to support an exportable vault.  That means the primary way to use this tool is to keep it on a thumb drive and plug it in to the computer you use it on.  That can be either handy or inconvenient depending upon how many computers you have and how you do your work.  With KeePassX you can store the vault in free cloud storage like GoogleDrive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc. and can connect with apps on mobile devices.
• 1Password - many people like this product and consider it easy to use.  It's design is similar to KeePass in that it's basic use is on a single system and you can share your vault using free online cloud storage services.  It's free to download and there is a one-time license fee.  There is also mobile support and that requires a valid license.

   Here are a few review articles that go into more detail about the features of these, and some other, products.

Keep Celebrating! - Mobile and Social

   We continue our celebration of US Cyber Security Awareness month!  This partnership between Homeland Security, NCSA (National Cyber Security Alliance) and the MS-ISAC (Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center) is an opportunity to recognize the importance of information security.  It started in 2003 as a way to build awareness for online security and privacy and to encourage individuals, business and government.

   This is another of my weekly posts connected with the weekly themes put together by DHS.  This week the theme is staying protected while always connected.  That rhymes!

   We are always connected!  According to the Pew Research Center, in 2015 90% of american adults own a cell phone, 64% own a smart phone.  And one of the major uses for smart phones is... not calls but social media!  How do we stay safe online and on the move?

Beach to Breach - It's not just for work data!

   I heard a great term recently... Beach to Breach.  SC Magazine did an article about a Sourcfire study on employees bringing their portable devices on vacation.  They found that 77% of employees bring their devices with them on vacation to keep in touch with work and that 97% of the use is email.

   Hopefully you can see some of the security problems right away... the devices have a good chance of getting lost or stolen when one is out of their "element"; plenty of opportunities to connect to unknown networks; potential to use hotel printers; possible "incentive" to bypass controls to see that one "important" message, and of course; sand in our devices!

   Organizations certainly should be concerned about the potential for breach of data or loss of equipment.  But what about the rest of us?  Should we take extra precautions with our personal devices and information when out of town?... Definitely!

Internet Safety... The Song Remains the Same

   As seems to often be the case in the fall, I'm doing a number of Internet Safety talks lately.  Maybe it's the tie-in with October US Cybersecurity month, and I did some posts celebrating that.  Maybe it's that fall makes us think about back to school (though maybe safety should be a "hotter" topic in the summer when kids have more free time!).

   I've been presenting to groups about Internet Safety and related topics for over 12 years.  I've got a few events coming up at work, so I'm updating my material.  I've got a number of talks on these "consumer" issues.  You can see my slides on my slideshare page.  I regularly update my material.  But what's really amazing to me is that the core, key messages have substantially remained the same.

   For example, I recently did a presentation and blog post on bullying.  The biggest change in online bullying in the past few years has been the news media attention.  But what happens, how it happens and options for victims, unfortunately, hasn't changed much.

   As I talk with people about these issues, and research and update my presentation material, I think there are 3 main areas in which things have substantially changed.

1. The rise and expansion of social media.  In the early 2000's, we were talking about things like email, Chat like AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and web surfing.  Xanga.com was around, but MySpace and Facebook weren't even invented until around 2003!  And, needless to say, there's been an explosion of social media sites with the latest trends favoring pictures and video.  While kids had the ability to share too much information since the beginning, social media sites really drove the norms.
2. Technology.  In particular... mobile technology.  I used to recommend that families keep their computer (singular) in a common place like the family room or kitchen so kids' use could be seen.  While that is still good advice, most families have more than one computer.  And most teens, and many younger kids, carry a powerful computer with them wherever they go... their smartphone.  While we still have options available for monitoring, and good communication is key, portable devices are really a game-changer.
3. Kids get it.  During my Internet Safety talks of the mid-2000's, we used to play a little game.  It was a live demo in which I would bring up a social media site, typically MySpace.  The game was to see how few clicks it would take us to get to some inappropriate content (like kids/teens sharing too much personal information or posting pictures parents would wish they didn't).  When I first started doing this demo it would only take a few clicks.  Then, by around 2008, it took more.  Then I would just save a few URLs of TMI pages.  Then I gave up the game altogether!  It's not that we can't still find inappropriate content, or examples of kids sharing far more than parents might want.  But kids are doing a much better job of protecting their information online.  Of course, kids, teens and young adults - actually digital natives in general - do have different ideas, definition and expectations of privacy compared to their parents!

    One final thought... another thing that has changed is that the oldest digital natives - people who do not know of a time without pervasive digital media and technology - are now having their own kids and showing up at Internet Safety talks!  But some things don't change and their kids still know more about technology!

   What surprises you about changes in our online world over the past decade?  What do you think has changed, or has not changed?

It's That Time of Year - Holiday Spams and Scams

   It's that time of year again folks.  And whatever holiday you may, or may not, celebrate... there's something we're all likely to see.  It's not presents, though maybe there are some for you.  It's not snow, though we'll see that soon enough here in the upper midwest US.  It's malware and holiday scams!

   Unfortunately, it happens every year.  Sometimes it's malicious attachments.  Sometimes it's links to malware to download or phishing sites with forms ready to collect your personal and financial information.

   Here is my 2013 edition of my Top 10 Tips To Avoid Holiday Spams and Scams...

Online Self Defense - Your Computer

   It's Cyber Security Month!  And the more things change, the more they stay the same.  The key advice for online self-defense I've given in the past is just as true now.  So to help us all celebrate, I'm "re-featuring" a few articles I've run in the past.

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   Happy US Cyber Security Month!  This partnership between Homeland Security, NCSA and MS-ISAC is an opportunity to recognize the importance of information security.  How are you celebrating?

   Last week I ran a couple of sessions at work on awareness and security.  Over the next few posts I will be reviewing some of the 3 themes I covered in a talk entitled "Online Self-Defense". You can view the slides on my slideshare page. (actually, the talk focuses on just 2 of the themes but that's OK!). Since everything comes in threes (omne trium perfectum), I will give 3 easy tips for each theme (and some bonus tips as well).

   The first theme is protecting your computer or device.

Want someone's password? Just ask!

   SC Magazine recently put out an article entitled: More users than ever experiencing phishing attack attempts.  According to the article, phishing attacks are on the rise.

   Phishing is simply any kind of communication intending to extract (typically) personal information from someone.  The scam usually tries to either get the victim to visit a malicious website or directly provide their information, via a reply to the attacker or in an online form.

   Years ago, phishing emails were easy to spot.  They typically used obvious From: addresses, poor grammar and spelling, clearly misleading url's, and overall poor imitation of a legitimate organization's communication.

   But, as is often the case, the phishers have gotten better.  The emails look legit, the grammar and use of language is good, and the links often go to realistic-looking, but malicious, sites.  And email isn't the only delivery method.

   So, how do we avoid, and help others avoid, these attacks?

Light and Sound - the next mobile malware vector?

   With all the talk about Prism in the security news, we didn't hear about much else.

   But here's an interesting story... Researchers at University of Alabama, Birmingham verified that malware, or other actions, can be triggered on a mobile device by sounds, music or light!

   From the article:
   "In one instance, the researchers used music in a crowded hallway to launch an attack on an off-the-shelf Android phone. In others, the malicious code was activated by a song with a particular pattern or the ambient light from a TV, computer monitor or overhead light bulb."

   For most of their experiments, the source of the sound or light needed be very close to the target device.

   Right now this is only experimental.  However, we know that well over 50% of mobile phone users in the US have smartphones.  And these phones have input sensors for light, sound and motion.  Essentially, we are all carrying devices that not only track our location and movements, but can record, and be influenced by, the environment around us.

   It will be interesting to track this research and see the ongoing new ways in which these ubiquitous devices can be exploited.

Twitter 1-and-a-half Factor Authentication

   As you may have read, and hopefully enabled, Twitter added a 2-factor authentication capability last week.

   If you haven't yet turned this on, here's how.  Log in to Twitter; select Settings; select Mobile; add and activate your phone.  Here are the detailed instructions for adding your phone number. To enable 2-factor authentication, select Account, then check the box labeled: Account security Require a verification code when I sign in.

   Here's the good news... as I've discussed in the past, I am a fan of using some kind of 2-factor auth for website authentication.  I also like the use of a smartphone for delivering that one-time-use PIN or code.  While we still have a digital divide in the US, most people do have a cell phone, and most of those have a smartphone.

   But there are some issues.

My Top 4 Everyday Apps

   I don't know about you, but I was not happy when Google announced that it would be pulling support of Google Reader on July 1.  Reader is tool I use all the time.  I have the RSS toolbar extension on Firefox on my computers set to default to reader so I can quickly add new sources to my feeds.  I regularly check reader on my computers and use the app on my mobile devices.

   So I was looking for a reader replacement.  CIO Online put together a nice list of alternatives.  After reviewing that list, I decided that feedly seemed to be the app that best met my needs.  I downloaded the feedly add-on for my browser(s) as well as the app for my mobile devices.  And that got me thinking... do I need the app on my mobile devices?  After all, mobile devices tend to become clogged with too many apps, and mine are no exception.

   And that got me thinking... what mobile apps am I really using?

Something You Lost - 3 Factors of Fail (part 3)

   As you can tell if you read my last post, I have some pretty strong opinions about the failure of passwords as an authentication mechanism.

   To review, the 3 factors of authentication are referred to as: something you know, something you have and something you are.  Today, in part 3 of this series, we'll talk about the failure of the second factor of authentication, "something you have".  Here are links to parts 1 and 2 of the series.

   While not the oldest form of authentication, this factor of authentication has been around for a long time.  Think about a key, or perhaps some kind of scroll with the symbol from a leader, or even the sword in the stone!  A driver's license, ID card, credit card or passport is also something you have.  These are all things someone can have and can be used identify them or grant access.

   Today, the term "2-factor authentication" can the use of any two different factors of authentication.  But most commonly it refers to the combination of password or PIN that you know, with a single use 6-digit number from some kind of token.

   Here are the three most common single use string/token delivery methods:

A Few of My Favorite Things - Apps

   I recently (finally) got modern smartphone.  My previous phone was the "free" phone from over 2 years ago.  Even when I had a basic smartphone I very quickly found useful apps that used everyday.

   Someone was recently asking me what apps I use on my phone.  I thought it would be useful to make a list of some of my favorites here and focus on those that I use most.

Tis The Season - Holiday Spams and Scams

   We have always had the need to be careful online. We always have to be aware of what sites we are visiting and what apps were using. I've written about this in my series on Online Self-Defense.

   But at this time of year you have to be even more careful. The amount of online trouble increases. Your volume of work may increase, you're often stressed during the holidays and may not pay as much attention to what you're doing online.

   There are also many e-cards and "cute" pictures and videos that have to be shared.  This, and other information, floods our inboxes, social media timelines and chat/text lists. Many of these have links. And unfortunately, far too many of these links go to malicious sites.

   Here's a great list of some common holiday spams/scams. Here's another.