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April 29, 2017 by Vertical Axion
If you participate in blog conversations, then you’ve probably heard of Disqus. It’s the largest and most well-known blog commenting software on the web today, used by a variety of news media sites and blogs of all shapes and sizes. Its user base numbers are in the hundreds of millions. Unfortunately, since literally anyone can […]
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April 28, 2017 by Vertical Axion
What’s old is new again. In the days before the internet, scammers frequently weaponized the telephone, but now, that’s considered old school. While telephone scams still exist, they’re not nearly as common as they once were. Recently, however, a new scam has been making the rounds that has even gotten the attention of the FCC. […]
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April 27, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Microsoft hasn’t been making many friends, thanks to its rather invasive data collection policies. In fact, the sheer amount of data the company collects on you via Windows 10 is nothing short of alarming, and it has even caught the attention of government agencies. Several European countries have filed formal complaints about the types and […]
April 26, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Amazon has been in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission since 2014 for not warning parents that the free apps they let their kids play with can be used to authorize in-app purchases. Thanks to this policy, some $70 million dollars’ worth of in-app purchases were made by minors between 2011 and 2016, and […]
April 25, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Over the past two years, the hackers of the world have begun to shift focus. Previously, their preferred targets had been big credit card companies, and all over the dark web, interested parties could find as many credit card numbers (including all relevant account information) as they were interested in purchasing. Times and tastes change, […]
April 24, 2017 by Vertical Axion
If you use either an Android or Apple smartphone, which describes approximately 100% of the world’s smartphone-using population, then you’ll want to pay close attention to the security updates that both Google and Apple released recently. Four months ago, Google security researcher Gal Beniamini, a member of Project Zero, identified a string of critical security […]
April 22, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Samsung, the world’s largest cellphone manufacturer, has a problem with their flagship offerings, the new S8 and S8+ devices. Both were released with a new facial recognition software the company used as an advanced security measure. The idea was a thing of beauty in its simplicity. Advanced machine learning coupled with advanced image recognition routines […]
April 21, 2017 by Vertical Axion
If you have a laptop, you’ve probably noticed that your laptop’s battery doesn’t seem to last as long as the manufacturer says it will. Maybe you just figured you were a power user, or maybe you thought it was just your imagination. It isn’t. A company called “Which?” that runs a popular website offering expert […]
April 20, 2017 by Vertical Axion
In 2016, security firms Lookout and Citizen Lab identified a dangerous new type of malware, dubbed Pegasus, that surfaced in the iOS ecosystem. The software was developed and sold by the NSO Group, a licensed cyber-arms dealer operating out of Israel. Highly advanced, it was primarily sold to governments, including a number of oppressive regimes, […]
April 19, 2017 by Vertical Axion
WordPress remains the undisputed king of content management systems. It is the web’s most popular site-building platform, and odds are good that you either have a WordPress site or know someone who does. Legions of businesses use the open source CMS to build business-grade websites with a staggering degree of functionality. Unfortunately, the immense success […]
April 18, 2017 by Vertical Axion
The newest big problem with data security is the same as the old big problem with data security. It’s the users. Specifically, it’s the fact that most people don’t bother to change their passwords more than once a year, if that frequently. Data security is a major headache for all business owners, no matter the […]
April 17, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Nintendo recently released the Nintendo Switch, a new console system. On its heels, we’re seeing a new scam that’s tricking large numbers of PC users (both Apple and Windows-based) into downloading potentially harmful software. The scam seems to be driven largely by YouTube videos, and works like this: A user views a YouTube video talking […]
April 15, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Google made a valiant effort to unify the world of internet chat with the release of Google Talk. Unfortunately, the other companies operating in that space were not interested in playing nice. Had Google been successful in the realization of their vision, then virtually all chat software in use today would be cross-compatible. You would […]
April 14, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Recently, digital security firm Lookout spotted an innovative new kind of malware they dubbed Scareware. Targeting Apple mobile devices, it makes the user believe he or she has been the victim of a ransomware attack by using simple Javascripts to lock the Safari mobile browser into an endless loop, displaying a message that all the […]
April 13, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Who says hackers don’t have a flair for style? Security searchers at Avast, makers of a popular antivirus software, have stumbled across a new strain of ransomware that utilizes a Star Trek theme. Although the new Python-based malware is not known to have ensnared any victims yet, the security bulletin is making the rounds to […]
April 12, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Are you one of the holdouts still running Windows 7 or 8? If so, you should know that if you upgrade your processor to the very latest, you will no longer be able to receive automatic software updates. For clarification, Microsoft formally terminated support for Windows 7 in January 2015, regardless of what processor you’re […]
April 11, 2017 by Vertical Axion
If you haven’t heard of the Trojan called “Nuclear Bot,” you probably will have the dubious honor of seeing it in action soon. Its author just released the source code on the Dark Web, and that’s very bad news. Nuclear Bot is a devastatingly effective Trojan. Although designed to target banks, there’s no reason why […]
April 10, 2017 by Vertical Axion
On March 22, Urology Austin became the second medical company to suffer from a major breach. It was a particularly nasty one, combining data theft with a ransomware attack that impacted more than a quarter million users. To its credit, the company took immediate, decisive action. It ensured that no one’s care was impacted and […]
April 8, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Today’s corporate networks look so different from the networks of yesteryear that they’re almost not even comparable any more. In olden times, when the personal computer was a relatively new invention and networks were just beginning to form, they were homogenous and tightly controlled. They were nearly hermetically sealed digital environments with strong digital walls […]
April 7, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Tavis Ormandy is either the first, or the last person on the planet you ever want to get an email from, depending on your point of view. As Google’s best, most prolific bug-hunter, he’s constantly on the prowl for security flaws that could be exploited by hackers that could put your data at risk. Recently, […]
April 6, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Just how bad it bot activity on the net? How much traffic is generated by bots, and how big of a problem is that for business owners? The answers will surprise and dismay you. According to the annual “Bad Bot Report” published by a company called Distil, Bot activity accounted for 40% of all traffic […]
April 5, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Just a friendly reminder: if you still have a system running Windows Vista, time is running out to upgrade. Windows has announced the official EOL (End of Life) date for the OS as April 11, 2017. As of that date, there will be no more software updates, period. That includes no more updates to fix […]
April 4, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Do you think your business is safe from a ransomware attack? It isn’t. This was indeed the case that when ransomware first burst onto the scene. Hackers were targeting very large institutions, seeming to favor the health care and insurance industries. But that is now changing, at least according to a recent report published by […]
April 3, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Ask.com is one of the internet’s oldest properties. It is not as well-known as the titans of the web (Google, Yahoo, etc.) but almost everyone who has spent any time at all on the internet is familiar with the brand, and its popular browser-based toolbar, distributed by the APN (Ask Partner Network) is used by […]
