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Adult Friend Finder (AFF) Hack

May 28, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

AFF Hack

Adult Friend Finder (AFF) Hack Affects Businesses

 

 

 

Last week, news broke that the Adult Friend Finder (AFF) website was hacked.  The site bills itself as a “thriving sex community”, and as a result users often share sensitive sexual information when they sign up.  This is one of the top adult websites for people that want casual encounters, possibly cheating on their spouse.  The site is one of the most heavily trafficked websites and has 63 million registered users worldwide. AFF2 

Now millions of these records are now in the open, exposing highly sensitive personal information.  Internet CyberCriminals are going to exploit this in many ways, sending spam, phishing, and possibly blackmail messages, using social engineering tactics to make people click on links or open infected attachments.  Be on the lookout for threatening messages like this that slip through and delete them immediately.

This is not an easy one.  It only takes one second for a worried person to click on a link in an email and expose the whole network to attackers.  I suggest you send this link to this post, in order to warn people not to take the bait.

The Background Story:

The story goes that the AFF site owed $240,000 to someone, likely an affiliate that was feeding them webtraffic, and supposedly the AFF did not pay their bill.  The affiliate had a hacker buddy who calls himself ROR[RG], and this guy decided to teach AFF a lesson.

ROR[RG] hacked them, exfiltrated at least 4 million records and then sent them a ransom demand of $100,000 to return the data.  Apparently AFF did not pay again, and in retaliation, ROR[RG] posted the stolen data on a Darknet Tor site loaded with a ton of highly sensitive, personal information.  The stolen data includes their age, procreation preferences, state, zip code, username, IP address, email address, usernames, dates of birth, marital status, sexual preferences, and whether they are looking for a “cheating one night stand” or more “unorthodox” procreation activities.  With a little digging, these people are easy to find.ROR Rg

FriendFinder Network, a California-based company, hired a public relations company specializing in cybersecurity, and released this statement:

“FriendFinder Networks Inc…understands and fully appreciates the seriousness of the issue.  We have already begun working closely with law enforcement and have launched a comprehensive investigation with the help of leading third-party forensics expert. We cannot speculate further about this issue, but rest assured, we pledge to take the appropriate steps needed to protect our customers if they are affected.”

The company could not be reached for further comment.  UK TV Channel 4 reported it first, and stated exposed email addresses are receiving spam.  Here is their 4-minute segment:  http://www.channel4.com/news/adult-friendfinder-dating-hack-internet-dark-web.

The Problem:

The problem is, that any of these 40 million registered users are now a target for a multitude of social engineering attacks.  People that have extramarital affairs can be made to click on links in emails that threaten to out them.  Or phishing emails that claim people can go to a website to find out if their private data has been released.  This is a nightmare that will be exploited by all facets of CyberCriminals:  spammers, phishers, and blackmailers.  All of which are rubbing their hands together in gleeful greediness.  Undoubtedly jilted spouses, divorce attorneys and private investigators are already pouring over the data to see if it’s of any use to them.

How it Affects Your Business

&

What You Need To Do:

Take immediate preventive action.  It only takes one second for a worried end-user (any employee with computer access) to click on a link in an email, and expose the entire network to attackers.  

I suggest you send the link to this post to friends, family, coworkers, and employees, in order to warn people not to take the bait.  Explain that you are sending a mass email to everyone, without judgement, in order to protect them from further attacks.  Warn them that clicking on the link in an email has far worse implications.  

You can’t stop CyberCriminals from targeting your company or employees.
But you can be prepared for their arrival, and have full shield up.

 

Got CyberBugs?

Call 1-204-800-3166

For Cyber-Extermination!

 

 

Filed Under: ALERTS, Featured

iPhone 6: Battery Drain

May 25, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

Battery DrainWhy is My iPhone 6 Battery Draining So Fast?

The release of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus was extremely successful for Apple.  However, when iOS 8.1 was released, many iPhone users complained of rapid battery drain.  

There are several things that could cause heavy battery drainage.  

Follow these tips to ensure battery longevity for your iPhone:
Battery Usage

You can check which apps are using more battery power by visiting “Settings” > “General” > “Usage” > “Battery Usage”.  Use this list to see which use the most battery power, which you should use less often, and which you should close right after using.  

iPhone Battery Use

 Background App Refresh

Some apps on your phone can actually be running while it is open but not in use.  These apps are constantly refreshing and using up your battery to push data and check for new content.  Visit “Settings” > “General” > “Background App Refresh”.  Use the “Background App Refresh” toggle to turn this function off completely, or to individually select specific apps to turn on or off.

Background App Refresh
 Location Services

Your battery will constantly used to update your location if your location services are turned on for all your apps.  Visit “Settings” > “Privacy” > “Location Services”, to see which apps are constantly checking for your location.

iPhone Location Services

You can click on each app, and choose whether you want your location to be updated “While Using the App” or “Never”.

iPhone Location Update

 Fetching New Data

The data associated with your “Mail”, “Contacts”, “Calendars” and “iCloud”, are either pushed to your iPhone from the server, or fetched.

“Pushed”:  Your server is looking for new data, such as emails, in real-time to ‘push’, or send, to your iPhone.

“Fetched”:  Data is looked for once you open the app, or when you choose to.

To save battery life visit, “Settings” > “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” > “Fetch New Data”.  Turn off “Push” by clicking on the toggle button.

However, this option isn’t practical if you want to receive your emails frequently.  If this is the case, scroll down to the “Fetch” section and choose how often you want the data pushed to your phone.  To maximize your battery longevity, schedule the “fetch” less often. 

iPhone Fetch New Data

 Parallax

Parallax:  The displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer.  An example of this is when you turn on your iPhone, and the wallpaper moves as you tilt the phone.

A large amount of battery power is used just to create the animations and the parallax effect to show depth on your iPhone. 

iPhone Parallax

 Brightness

You can use less battery power if you lower the brightness on your iPhone.  Visit “Settings” > “Display & Brightness”.  If you choose “Auto-Brightness”, your phone will detect the amount of light in the environment, and will adjust the display brightness accordingly.  

iPhone Brightness

 These things should help keep your iPhone (and you) happily charged for a longer period of time.

You can’t stop CyberCriminals from targeting your company or employees.
But you can be prepared for their arrival, and have full shields up.

 

Got Cyber-Bugs?

Call 1-204-800-3166

For Cyber-Extermination!

Filed Under: FAQ, Featured

ALERT: Red Bull Ad Scam

May 20, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

Red Bull‘Red Bull’ Money Laundering Scam

Emails are being received that claim to be from ‘Red Bull’.  They offer to place Red Bull ads on your car for $600/week.  They explain the benefits of the “business offer”, and promise easy money that will basically pay for the whole car, gas money included.  

A sample of the email, below.

Red Bull email

 

 

Sounds like a great deal, right?

 

 

 

Unfortunately, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

The first payment received is usually larger than originally agreed upon.  The CyberCriminals apologize for the “error”, and requests the you to wire the ‘extra’ money back to them, minus the your ‘fee’.

Oh yeah, and the cheque you were sent, was either a forged or stolen cheque, or a fraudulent wire transfer from an account that was illegally taken over by the CyberCriminals.

In both cases, you’ll be charged with fraud and money laundering.

This scam originally reared it’s ugly head during spring break in 2014.  

If you receive an email, or see an ad on Social Media stating it’s from Red Bull and offering you an opportunity to “work from home”.  Delete it immediately.

Beware of internet “work from home” schemes.  Most of them are fruadulent.
Warn family, friends, coworkers and employees.

 

You can’t stop CyberCriminals from targeting you, 
But you can be prepared for their arrival, and have full shields up.

Got Cyber-Bugs?

Call 1-204-800-3166

For Cyber-Extermination!

 

 

Filed Under: ALERTS, Featured

iSmartAlarm

May 19, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

LogoiSmartAlarm

Home Security System

 

Their claims:

Peace of mind made easyDaisies

  • DIY Home Security and Home Automation
  • Monitor and Manage your home from your phone
  • Quick and Simple Setup
  • No Contracts
  • No Monthly Fees

 

There are other packages available (listed at the end), but not at the retail store that we went to.  We chose the larger of the 2 packages that were there.  We also purchased a package of 2 extra contact sensors.  

Preferred PackagePreferred Package

Recommended for an apartment, dorm, studio, or smaller house.

 Includes:

CubeOne (1)

Control Unit, the ‘brain’

  • CubeOnePlug-and-Play:  Just connect to wall outlet and internet router
  • Supports iCamera video cameras (1st Generation and iCamera KEEP), and all iSmartAlarm devices.  Almost infinitely expandable.
  • Built-in 110-decibel siren – louder than a car horn.
  • Dimensions:  100mm x 100mm x 105mm
  • Weight:  370 grams
  • Distance:  <100m (Outdoor, open space).
  • Connection and Expansion:  USB port 2.0; 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 Connector)
  • Operating Temperatures:  -10°C to 55°C (14°F to 122°F)
  • Classification:  External power
Motion Sensor (1)

Motion Sensor

  • Identify trouble anywhere within 30 feet.
  • Be notified instantly of intruders.
  • Wireless and repositionable.
  • Battery-powered.
  • For use in the kitchen, living room, spare room, garage, home office, or hallway.
  • Dimensions:  100mm x 69mm x 50mm
  • Weight:  80.1 grams
  • Distance <100m (Outdoor, open space)
  • Operating Temperature:  -10°C to 50°C (14°F to 122°F)
  • Classification:  Internally-powered
Remote Tag (2)
  • Give a Remote to anyone in the family as a dedicated identification key, so even if they are too young for a phone, or they don’t have a smartphone, they can still control the system and be monitored.Remote Tag
  • Control your system from anywhere in the home.
  • Track your children and pets.
  • Arm and Disarm your alarm using the Remote Tag.
  • Use the Remote Tag to set off the alarm in case of intruder or when you need help, even if the iSmartAlarm is not Armed, such as in case of a fall or medical emergency.
  • Dimensions:  60mm x 30mm x 10mm
  • Weight:  12.8 grams
  • Distance:  <100m (outdoor)
  • Operating Temperature:  -10°C to 50°C (14°F to 122°F)
Contact Sensor (2)Contact Sensor

 

  • Easily placed at any door or window opening using two-sided adhesive tape (included).
  • Removeable and maveable – Can be used on a door today, a window tomorrow.
  • Wireless
  • Battery-powered
  • For use with:  doors, sliding doors, cleaning supply cupboard, refrigerator, windows, drawers, liquor cabinet, pool gate.
Window Sticker (2)Window Sticker

 

Deter burglars and break-ins with the small, but visible, window stickers.

 

 

We also purchased an extra package of 2 contact sensors.2 Contact Sensors

 

 

ISmartAlarm picReview:

The ‘Preferred Package is available from Best Buy for $199.99US online (or from BestBuy.ca for $229.99CDN), or from Amazon for $199.99US (at time of publish, it was on sale for $165.99US).  You can also get it from the iSmartAlarm website for $229US, but at time of publish their website was down.  Our house is 1700 sq feet, with a basement, and a lot of windows. We purchased the larger of the 2 iSmartAlarm packages available at our local big box store.  We also purchased a package of 2 extra contact sensors.

We knew if we searched further locally, we might have found the bigger package (Premium Package), but it was doubtful.  We knew we could get it online, but we wanted the instant gratification, plus we didn’t want to lay out a bunch of cash if the system didn’t work.

After installation, and ‘playing’ with the system, we wish we would have bought the bigger package, but we can always get the additional accessories separately.  Although we’ll likely have to buy online, as our local box store didn’t carry much at all (just the ‘Preferred Package’, ‘CubeOne’ separately, packages of 2 contact sensors, and 1 box of extra remote tags).  So, unless you live in a larger centre, where the box store has everything & anything in stock, you’ll likely have to special order or buy online.

Actual Installation:

The actual installation was extremely easy.  The CubeOne truly was ‘plug-and-play’.  We plugged it into our router upstairs, and it went through ‘the motions’, and was ready to go.  The installation app was easy to find on GooglePlay with a Arm Disarmquick search.  The installation app prompted us to update the outdated firmware, which took all of 60 seconds to download & update.  The 7 devices (4 contact sensors, 2 remote tags, and 1 motion sensor) linked to CubeOne instantaneously, and we could see them on the smartphone screen.

The only trouble we had was when we went to link up another smartphone to the group.  We didn’t know if we should ‘join’ or ‘create new user’.  Thinking that the 2nd smartphone was a ‘new user’, we went with that.  FAIL.  If you’re joining up a 2nd (or 3rd, or 4th) smartphone to the group, make sure you ‘join’.  Also – when it asks for ‘username’ DO NOT put in the username of the 1st smartphone, or else you will disconnect that smartphone (and yours will have identity crisis).  Make sure you make up your own ‘username’.  After this, though, we had no problems signing up a 3rd smartphone user.  One thing we are still having problems figuring out, is how to make a 2nd smartphone an ‘administrator’ as well as the 1st smartphone.  We still haven’t figured that out.

We weren’t sure how the contact sensor was going to work on our back door, as the door opens to the outside, thus we had to put the sensors at a 45° angle.  Works perfectly.  No issues whatsoever.

We were also unsure of our opening windows.  The screen is on the inside, and the window opens from the left to the outside.  We mounted the sensors on the opening side of the window (you’ll either have to take the screen out, or mount them from outside), and at a 45° angle on the window frame (between the screen and the opening window).  It works amazing.  In fact, I quite often forget about the sensor and open the window before I disarm the alarm.  Which brings me to another point…

You can set the delay on the alarm (the time between a sensor is triggered, and the time that the alarm starts going full-tilt).  We set ours at 1 minute.  Yes, it means I have to rush around to turn it off from my phone (which is never in my pocket, where it should be).  However, it is enough time, if you rush.  I don’t want to give anyone that breaks in more time than that, before the alarm goes, because an awful lot can happen, even in just 1 minute.  It does give you a beeping ‘count-down’ to warn you that you forgot to disarm the alarm, or to warn intruders that there is an alarm in the house.  I would also make sure that ‘CubeOne’ is out-of-sight, and can’t be easily seen within that 1 minute.  The count-down beep is clearly coming from CubeOne and really, all they have to do is unplug it.  You would get a notification on your phone if it was unplugged.  

MonitorYou can set your phone to receive ‘notifications’ whenever a sensor is triggered, even when the system isn’t armed.  However, unless you really need to know when a door or window is opened (and closed again), I wouldn’t use this.  I ended up getting over 400 notifications in the 1st day & it got a little annoying.  What is nice, that if you want to keep track of when they get home (and either they have one of the remote tags, or the app on their phone), you can still see when they get home, and you can always check if a door or window is open or closed.  

Pros:

  • Really easy to install.  Truly is ‘plug-and-play’.
  • We had a window that opens to the outside, with the screen on the inside.  We weren’t sure how this would work, putting the two halves at 45 degrees, but it worked really well.  We just put the smaller part of the sensor on the side of the window, and the larger sensor on the side of the opening part of the window.  (See picture)
  • Very small footprint.  All parts included are very inconspicuous, and don’t take up a lot of room.  Probably the most conspicuous part is the motion sensor, which has to be placed 6 1/2 feet off the floor, on a wall with the greatest visibility of the area to be monitored.
  • Esthetically pleasing.  Matches today’s decor

Cons:

  • Would like to be able to ‘safety monitor’ specific contact sensors, without having to receive notifications on every single device.  This would be handy if you have a teenager in the house that likes to sneak out through their window.
  • During setup, to add additional users/smartphones to be linked.  It asks you to ‘log in’ or ‘create new user’.  The instructions are not very clear on which you should pick.  I picked ‘log in’ the first time, and ended up having to uninstall the App and reinstall it before doing it correctly.  To add additional smartphone/user, click ‘create new user’.  Pick a nickname that you want for your phone, and your own password.  Then click ‘join’.  Other than the brief wrong turn, adding an additional smartphone/user was really easy.

In all, I was very impressed.  For a D-I-Y alarm system I found it priced very reasonably, and extremely easy to install.  I give the iSmartAlarm 4 Geeks.  

Geek3

Geek2

Geek5

Geek8

 

 

 

Other iSmartAlarm Packages Available:

Premium PackagePremium Package:  Recommended for a medium sized house.

Includes: 1 CubeOne, 1 iCamera, 2 Door/Window Sensors, 1 Motion Sensor, 2 Remote Tags, 2 iSmartAlarm Stickers.

 

 

 

Other iSmartAlarm Accessories Available:

iCamera
  • Use your phone to control the pan and tilt, and view streaming video.
  • Automatically take and receive pictures if anything is amiss.
  • Manually take pictures at any time, from anywhere with your phone iCameraand save them to the cloud to access later.
  • Wireless communication with the CubeOne and with you.
  • Ceiling and tabletop mount.
  • Resolution:  640 x 480
  • Field of View:  90°
  • Pan and Tilt Angle:  Vertical 110°, Horizontal 350°
  • Night Vision Distance:  at 0.5 lux, viewing angle not less than 30°, able to view detail at 10 m.
  • Maximum Working Distance:  100 m (300 feet) in open space.
  • Operating Temperature:  0°C to 55°C (14°F to 131°F)
iCamera KEEPiCameraKeep

HD resolution, motion and audio detection, and on-demand streaming video control with free video storage

  • HD resolution, motion and audio detection, and on-demand streaming video control – the iCamera KEEP provides comprehensive home visibility with free video capture and storage.
  • Streaming on-demand video control from your smartphone
  • 1280 x 720 HD Resolution
  • 350° x 40° pan and tilt
  • Night vision
  • For use with iSmartAlarm system or as a stand-alone Wi-Fi camera
Yard SignYard Sign and Window Sticker

Deter burglars and break-ins with the weather-proof and long-lasting iSmartAlarm yard sign and window stickers

 

 

iSmartAlarm has new devices coming soon:

Coming Soon

Filed Under: Reviews

ALERT: Rombertik Kills Your Hard Drive

May 14, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

 

ALERT:  Rombertik Kills Your Hard DriveALERT:

Rombertik Kills Your Hard Drive

 

CyberCriminals are sending out a new phishing email, hoping to entice users to download, and open the attachments.

 

The attachments, instead of containing the information promised, infects the user’s machine with the extremely deadly malware Romertik.

 

Here is an example of the phishing email being received:

Rombertik email

 

What is Rombertik:

Rombertik is a new strain of malware recently discovered by InfoSec researchers at Cisco’s TALOS group, which spreads through phishing emails.

Rombertik, monitors everything that happens inside an infected machine’s browser, and exfiltrates it to a server controlled by the attacker.

It steals your information, and sends it to the CyberCriminals.  
All that’s missing is the bow on top.

However, if Rombertik detects it is being analyzed by Anti-Malware Software it acts similar to a suicide bomber.  It takes deadly evasive action and actively attempts to destroy the computer.  It wipes the Master Boot Record (MBR) or home directories.  This traps the computer in an endless boot loop, rendering it unusable.

In the case that Rombertik cannot get access to the MBR, it starts encrypting all files in the user’s ‘home’ folder (ex. C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\).  You then end up with random, shredded bits instead of files.

 

What You Can Do About It

      1.  Have multiple layers (and different Anti-Virus engines) of malware scanning in place.  The firewall, your mail server/email gateway, and the desktop.  That means a different vendor, using a different Anti-virus engine for your firewall, your mail server/email gateway, and your endpoint Anti-Virus.Layered Security

 

 

 

 

2.  Have Security Awareness Training in place.  Follow up with random simulated phishing attacks, which will keep them on their toes, and aware of security.

Security Awareness Training

 

 

 

 

You can’t stop CyberCriminals from targeting you, 
But you can be prepared for their arrival, and have full shields up.

 

Got Cyber-Bugs?

Call 1-204-800-3166

For Cyber-Extermination!

Filed Under: ALERTS, Featured

Definition: Master Boot Record (MBR)

May 13, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

Master Boot Record

aka:  MBR

 

A small program that is executed when a computer is booting up, which identifies how and where an Operating System (OS) is located so that it can be booted into the computer’s main storage or Random Access Memory (RAM).  Typically the MBR resides on the first sector of the hard drive.

The MBR is also sometime called the Partition Sector because it includes a table that locates each partition that the hard disk has been formatted into.

The MBR also contains a program that reads the boot sector record of the partition containing the Operating System to be booted into RAM.  That record contains a program that loads the rest of the Operating System into RAM.

Filed Under: Definitions

Beware of Juice-Jacking

May 11, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

 

Beware of Juice-JackingBeware of Juice-Jacking

 

In this age of everything and everywhere digital, more and more public places are providing conveniences for your laptop and smartphone.

Airports, hotels, and some shopping malls now provide free charging kiosks to charge up  your laptop or smartphone, provided you have a USB cord.

Juice Jack Charge

 

But they are just another way you can get jacked!

These publicly-available devices could be configured to read most of the data on your phone, and perhaps even upload malware.

 

What Is Juice-Jacking?

Juice-Jacking:  The illegal downloading of data from a smartphone while it is recharging at a free charging kiosk at an airport or other location.

Juice-Jacking was identified by Black Hat in 2013 as the #1 threat for identity theft and malware for mobile device users.

USBRegardless of the kind of smartphone you have (Android, iPhone, Blackberry, etc.) there is 1 common feature they all have – the power supply and the data stream pass over the same cable.  Whether you’re using the now standard USB miniB connection, or Apple’s proprietary cables, it’s the same:  the cable used to recharge the battery in your phone is the same cable used to transfer and sync your data.

With data and power on the same cable, this offers a way for a malicious user to gain access to your phone during the charging process.  This process, leveraging the USB data/power cable to illegitimately access the phone’s data and/or inject malicious code onto the device, is what is referred to as “juice-jacking”.

Being “juice-jacked” could be a simple invasion of privacy, where your phone pairs with a computer concealed within the charging kiosk, and private information such as photos, contact information are transferred to the malicious device.  Or, it could be an injection of malicious code onto your device.

Juice Jack Free Charge

At the 2011 DefCon (a massive hacker conference held each year in Las Vegas), at least 360 attendees plugged in their smartphones to a charging kiosk built by the same guys who run the infamous Wall of Sheep (a public shaming exercise at DefCon aimed at educating people about the dangers of sending email and other online communications over open wireless networks).  The charging kiosk was built to educate the attendees about the potential perils of juicing up at random public kiosks.  To attract passerby’s, the kiosk was equipped with a variety of charging cables to fit most popular wireless devices.  When no device was connected, the LCD screen on the kiosk displayed a blue image and “Free Cell Phone Charging Kiosk”.  When a device was plugged in, the LCD screen changed to display a red warning sign reading:

Juice Jack Dont Trust

You should not trust public kiosks with your smart phone.  Information can be retrieved or downloaded without your consent.  Luckily for you, this station has taken the ethical route and your data is safe.  Enjoy the free charge!”

 

Brian Markus explained the motivation behind the experiment:

We’d been talking about how dangerous these charging stations could be.  Most smartphones are configured to just connect and dump off data.  Anyone who had an inclination to, could put a system inside one of these kiosks that when someone connects their phone, can suck down all of the photos and data, or write malware to the device.”

One attendee was so shocked by the kiosk that he sent an email to everyone in his company stating they were now required to bring power cables and/or extra batteries on travel, and no longer allowed to use charging kiosks for smart devices in open public areas.

 

What’s The Safest Way to Charge?

The safest way to charge your device, in and out of the workplace/home, is to use the supplied power cord that plugs into a regular electrical outlet.  

If you absolutely have to use a random charging kiosk, completely power off your device before you plug into the kiosk.  However, this only help to prevent data transfer on a small number of devices.

 

What Does This Mean To Me?Cyber Security

In recent years, there have been many, much more malicious, malware and viruses released.  Cyber attacks are on the rise.  Estimates show that CyberCriminals release 3.5 new threats targeting small and medium businesses every second.

  • Small businesses are now the target of 31% of all cyber-attacks.
  • There are approximately 5 cyber attacks every second.
  • 29% of small businesses have experienced a computer-based attack that affected their reputations, involved theft of business information, resulted in loss of customers, or experienced network and/or data centre downtime.
  • In 60% of cases of cyber attacks, attackers are able to compromise a business within minutes.

Businesses need to educate their employees, and block malicious attacks before mobile malware enters its system through infected devices.  Businesses must ensure network layer Data Leakage Prevention (DLP) to prevent the outflow of user/corporate data.

  • 23% of recipients still open phishing emails.
  • 11% of recipients click on the attachments.

Businesses are still slow to install software patches.

  • An overwhelming majority of cyber attacks exploited known vulnerabilities, where the patch had been available for months prior to the breach!
  • 68% of security breaches took months or years to discover.
  • 69% of breaches were discovered by an external party.

 

You can’t stop CyberCriminals from targeting you.
But you can be prepared for their arrival, and have full shields up.

 

Got Cyber-Bugs?

Call 1-204-800-3166

For Cyber-Extermination!

 

Filed Under: ALERTS, FAQ, Featured

FBI ALERT: Nepal Earthquake Scams

May 7, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

FBI Logo

FBI ALERT:  

Nepal Earthquake Scams

 

 

CyberCriminals continue to exploit the devastating
Nepal earthquake,
and the even more devastating loss of lives.

CyberCriminals are using the disaster in Nepal to trick people into clicking on links, on Facebook, Twitter, and phishing emails.  They say they are trying to solicit charitable giving for the earthquake victims.

They are trying to get your money, but their intentions are anything but charitable…

The scams that are exploiting the disaster are so abundant, and have victimized so many people, that the FBI has issued a public warning about the scams.

Here are some examples:

Facebook pages ‘dedicated to victim relief’.

These pages contain links to scam websites.

Nepal Earthquake Facebook Scam

 

 

 

 

Tweets with links to ‘charitable websites’ soliciting donations.  

The links are really spam links or links that lead to your PC or other device being infected with malware.

SaveNepal Scam

 

 

 

 

 

Emails requesting donations to the Nepal Earthquake Fund.  

These are really phishing emails, which lead to your PC or device being infected with malware.

Phishing Email Example

 

 

 

 

Be Wary of Anything You Receive About

the Nepal Earthquake.FBI Fraud Alert

 

The FBI Issued The Following Guidelines Before Making a Donation of Any Kind:
  • Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming emails, including by clicking links contained within those messages, because they may contain computer viruses.
  • Be cautious of individuals representing themselves as victims, or officials asking for donations via email or social networking sites.
  • Beware of organizations with copycat names similar to, but not exactly the same, as those of reputable charities.
  • Rather than following a purported link to a website, verify the existence and legitimacy of non-profit organizations by using Internet-based resources.
  • Be cautious of any emails that claim to show pictures of the disaster area in attached files, because those files may contain viruses.  Only open attachments from known senders.
  • To ensure that contributions are received and used for intended purposes, make donations directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.
  • Do not be pressured into making contributions; reputable charities do not use coercive tactics.
  • Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions.  Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.
  • Avoid cash donations if possible.  Pay by debit or credit card, or write a check directly to the charity.  Do not make checks payable to individuals.
  • Legitimate charities do not normally solicit donations via money transfer services.
  • Most legitimate charities maintain websites ending in “.org” rather than “.com”.

 

If you would like to donate the the Nepal earthquake victims:

        1.  Go to the website of the charity of your choice and make a donation.  

              Type the address in your browser.  

             DO NOT CLICK on any links in emails, texts, or tweets you might get.

        2.  Check out the Canadian Red Cross or American Red Cross.  

              They can tell you how you can donate to the Nepal Region Earthquake Fund.  

              **Note:  the Government of Canada will match eligible donations made to Nepal Region Earthquake Fund made through the Canadian Red Cross.

 

You can’t stop CyberCriminals from targeting you.
But you can be prepared for their arrival, and have full shields up.

 

Got Cyber-Bugs?

Call 1-204-800-3166

For Cyber-Extermination!

 

Filed Under: ALERTS, Featured

May 2015 TechTips

May 5, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

Man Sentences Computer to Death by Firing Squad!

 

MAY 2015

TECHTIPS NEWSLETTER

 

 

Technology news, information and interesting stories.  Published monthly for Geeks and non-Geeks!

  • Man Sentences Computer to Death by Firing Squad!
  • Tiny Ant-Like Robots To Take Over the World!
  • Android vs Apple War Gets Put On the Map!
  • Apple Says ‘Good Watches Don’t…!’
  • Yahoo Taking Computer Security By the Ear!
  • Google Takes On the Patent Trolls!
  • URGENT computer security warning!

You don’t want to miss this issue!

Get your newsletter HERE!

Comments?  Let me know what you think at marketing@tbyd.ca


computer virusKeep Up-To-Date on the Latest Threats To Your Computer Network!

Regular weekly ALERTS on the latest security threats to your computer network

Check out the ALERTS here.

Do you have a question for our Resident Geek?  Email it to:  geek@tbyd.ca!

Like us on Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter!


ExpiredAn Urgent Security Warning for Businesses Running

Windows XP, Office 2003, and

Microsoft Windows Server 2003!

 

Windows XP and Office 2003 are no longer supported by the manufacturer.

Server 2003 will no longer be supported by the manufacturer after April 2015.

If your business or organization is currently running Windows XP, Office 2003, Microsoft Server 2003, or Exchange 2003 on any computers or servers in your office, you need to know about a dangerous security threat that must be addressed NOW!

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THIS IMPORTANT SECURITY ANNOUNCEMENT!

As your local Microsoft Partner, we are reaching out to all local businesses that use any of these programs to alert you to this serious security risk and inform you about what you need to do NOW to protect your company or organization!

 

WINDOWS XP AND OFFICE 2003

REPLACEMENTS MUST BE MADE NOW

 

WINDOWS SERVER 2003 AND EXCHANGE 2003

REPLACEMENTS MUST BE MADE BY JULY 14, 2015

 

Microsoft has officially announced that it retired all support for Windows XP and Office 2003 April 2014, and on the Server 2003 operating system on July 14, 2015.

This means any business still running any of these programs will be completely exposed to serious hacker attacks, aimed at taking control of your network, stealing data, crashing your system, and inflicting a host of other business-crippling problems you do NOT want to deal with.

This is such a serious threat that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued an official warning to all companies still running these programs, because firewalls and antivirus software will NOT be sufficient to completely protect your business from malicious attacks or data-exfiltration.  Running some of these programs will also put many organizations out of compliance.

 

CALL

1-204-800-3166

for a FREE ASSESSMENT

Filed Under: Featured, TechTips Newsletter

May the Fourth Be With You

May 4, 2015 by The T By D Team Leave a Comment

May the Fourth Be With You

 

May the Fourth Be With You is a full-fledged unofficial holiday:  

Star Wars Day.

Star Wars

 

 

 

 

 

 

As far as Lucasfilm and Disney are concerned, it’s very official.
Check out it’s own website at:  http://www.starwars.com/may-the-4th.

 

Legend has it that the phrase was 1st used May 4, 1979, the day that Margaret Thatcher took office as UK Prime Minister.  Allegedely the Conservative party place an ad in the London Evening News,

 

Margaret Thatcher

“May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie.  Congratulations.”

 

 

And that, as they say, “is where history began.”

With the advance of social media, it’s expanded to real-life events, celebrating the day worldwide.

 

May the 4th Yoda

While Lucasfilm did not start the idea of May the 4th (although, I’m sure they wish they had),

they fully embraced the idea, and have been capitalizing on it ever since.

 

May the 4th kicks off a day of celebration, and more and more official Star Wars partners have offered sales, giveaways, and exclusives.  Including hosting parties and other activities to celebrate the day.

 

NASA2
NASA also hopes to send a special message from the International Space Station.  
Although, the Empire plans to jam his transmission.

 

 

Character

 

There are online and in-store deals on Star Wars merchandise and gaming.

Star Wars food, and events where fans dress as their favorite Star Wars character.

 

 

Most events happened over the weekend, although you can celebrate on your own:
  1. Dust off your favorite Star Wars costume (come on, we all know you have one…), and cosplay with your friends.
  2. Have a Star Wars movie marathon.  Atlanta’s Battle and Brew offers Star Wars movies and a themed drink…
  3. Donate.  UNICEF and Lucasfilm/Disney have joined forces with a wearable power band that allows fans, young and old, to get moving and help children in need around the world.
  4. If you happen to be in Sydney, Australia, you can support Scott Loxley.  He’s been walking the country in a sandtrooper costume to raise money for charity.  Participants can “walk a mile” in his boots by hopping on a treadmill.
  5. Stay at home and throw your own Star Wars-themed party, complete with Star Wars-themed treats from The Star Wars Cookbook:  Wookiee Cookies and Other Galactic Recipes.  

 

The Empire Taken Your Computer Over to The Dark Side?

Empire

1-204-800-3166

Lightsaber

For Lightsaber Action!

Filed Under: FAQ, Featured

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